NASA launched the most powerful rocket ever built on a journey to the Moon on Wednesday in a spectacular blaze of light and sound that marked the start of the space agency's new flagship programme, Artemis.
The 32-story tall Space Launch System blasted off from the storied Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 01:47 local time, producing a record 8.8 million pounds (39 meganewtons) of thrust.
Fixed to the rocket's top was the uncrewed Orion spaceship that will orbit Earth's nearest neighbour in a test run for later flights that should see the first woman and first person of colour touch down on lunar soil by the mid-2020s.
About two hours after the launch, NASA said the spacecraft had completed a propulsive manoeuvre to escape the pull of Earth's gravity and was on its path to the Moon.
