NASA launched the Artemis 1 mission at 12:17 pm IST on November 16, following which the agency's chief was asked if the US can cooperate with China in space.
We are officially into the new era of space exploration with the successful launch of NASA's uncrewed Artemis 1 mission on November 16 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
At 12:17 pm IST, the Space Launch System rocket blasted off to orbit with a roar as it generated a whopping 8.8 million pounds of peak thrust, surpassing every other launch vehicle in terms of power.
About two hours after the launch, the uncrewed Orion spacecraft mounted over the SLS rocket was propelled into a lunar trajectory.
Mission teams will now monitor the capsule for a little more than 25 days before its splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
As the mission progresses, NASA will collect loads of data on spaceflight and the technology that succeeded or needs to be upgraded for their usage in the future.