Space Launch System

Getting to the Moon requires a powerful rocket ship to accelerate a spacecraft fast enough to overcome the pull of Earth’s gravity and set it on a precise trajectory to its destination. When NASA's deep space rocket, the Space Launch System, took off on its first flight, Artemis I, it produced a maximum 8.8 million pounds of thrust, exerting more power than any rocket ever.After the first flight, the next step is to start sending people on bold missions to the Moon and beyond. The rocket will allow NASA to send missions to deep space and reach distant destinations faster than ever before. On its second mission carrying Orion and astronauts, Artemis II, SLS will send Orion and its crew farther than people have traveled before around 250,000 miles from Earth, 10,000 miles beyond the Moon. Like Artemis I, the second flight will use a Block I version of the SLS. On the third flight, Artemis III, SLS will send Orion an astronauts on a mission in 2024 that will land on the Moon. Americans along with their international and commercial partners will use the Moon as a proving ground to test technologies and prepare for missions to Mars.