NASA launched the most powerful rocket in the world on a journey to the Moon on Wednesday
The 32-story tall Space Launch System was launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida
About nine hours into the journey, the Orion spacecraft’s spectacular first views of Earth were shared
The rocket was around 57,000 miles away from our planet on its way to the moon
The Artemis mission is the first time NASA launched a rocket to reach the moon since the Apollo program’s final launch 50 years ago
NASA estimated about 15,000 people gathered at the launch site, and the crowd burst into cheers as the rocket lifted off
The Artemis mission will orbit the moon before returning to Earth
“Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone for astronauts on the way to Mars(sic),” noted NASA in a blog post