>> You're a go to proceed
with terminal count
and launch of Artemis I.
>> Go for launch.
>> For the Artemis generation,
this is for you.
At this time, I give you a go
to resume count
and launch Artemis I.
>> Three, two, one!
>> And liftoff of Artemis I.
>> On November 16, 2022,
NASA's Artemis I mission
began a new era of space flight,
testing systems
that will take humans
back to the moon and beyond.
The space launch system
built for Artemis I is
the most powerful rocket
in the world.
Just how big is it?
The Artemis rocket system
reaches a height of 322 feet.
That's taller than
the Statue of Liberty.
And it weighs an astounding
5.75 million pounds.
That's like launching the weight
of 450 elephants into space.
It takes a powerful system
of engines and boosters
to get this massive rocket
into the air
and to propel the Orion capsule
all the way to the moon.
>> Three, two, one, fire.
>> Two solid rocket boosters
burn about six tons
of solid propellant each second
to help lift the rocket
off the launch pad.
Assisting the boosters
are four engines
at the base of the core stage,
which burn out more than
1,500 gallons of
liquid propellant each second.
Above the core stage
is the Orion spacecraft.
The launch abort systems
is a protection system
for the crew during launch.
The Orion crew module
is where astronauts will go
in future missions.
Artemis I is an uncrewed test,
meaning no humans
are onboard this time.
The service module contains
Orion's propulsion system,
a single engine
that will provide the spacecraft
almost 25,000 pounds of thrust
as it sends the spacecraft
to the moon.
Liftoff happens once
the core stage engines start
and the solid rocket
boosters ignite.
The rocket rapidly gains speed
as it lights up the sky.
>> And here we go.
And hydrogen burn off
igniters initiate.
Seven, six, five, four --
stage engines start --
three, two, one.
Boosters ignite.
And liftoff of Artemis I.
We rise together,
back to the moon and beyond.
>> About two minutes
into the flight,
the rocket releases
the two solid rocket boosters.
>> Standing by for
solid rocket booster jettison
and shortly thereafter.
>> Their job is complete.
>> Confirmation that
the solid rocket boosters
have separated.
>> Shortly after,
the launch abort system
is released from
the top of the crew module.
The core stage and its engines
continue to
propel the spacecraft
over 17,000 miles per hour.
And then they too separate.
With a final push,
the single engine
of the interim cryogenic
propulsion stage
thrusts Orion onto the moon.
The propulsion stage separates
two hours into the flight,
leaving Orion on its own
for the remaining journey.
It took Orion several days
to get to the moon,
where it remained
in distant orbit
for almost a week.
Then the spacecraft began
its long journey home to Earth,
where it faces the final test
of the mission,
re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
Orion returns to the planet
traveling 25,000 miles per hour,
enduring temperatures nearly
5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
A series of parachutes deploy
to bring its speed down
to close to 20 miles per hour,
so it can safely splash down
into the Pacific Ocean.
Artemis I was an historic step
in sending humans
back to the moon and beyond,
taking the Artemis generation
further than ever before.
[ music ]