The uncrewed Artemis I mission launched today, Wednesday morning atop the SLS rocket.
It brings to the Moon its Orion crew capsule containing a mannequin named Moonikin (wearing the new space suit), two partial mannequins named Helga and Zohar, 120 pounds of knick-knacks, and ten CubeSats, including one that will be the smallest spacecraft ever to make a lunar landing.
The service module, produced by the European Space Agency, houses propulsion, power, and life support for Orion.
Orion will make its closest pass to the Moon at only 60 miles from the surface before settling into a large orbit by day ten. Then, on Dec. 5, Orion will head back to Earth. Its heat shield will protect it as it enters the atmosphere, and then its 11 parachutes will bring it to its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11.
