NASA’s Space Launch System, the agency’s flagship rocket designed to carry astronauts back to the Moon under the Artemis program, stands 322 feet tall in its Block 1 configuration. That height exceeds the Statue of Liberty and rivals many mid-rise office towers found in American cities.

NASA says space mission on track for Wednesday launch, aiming to carry a crew to the moon for first time in 5 decades

NASA's Artemis II mission is shaping up to be more than just the next step in returning humans to the moon — it is a key test of whether the agency's traditional contractor-built systems can remain viable in a rapidly ​shifting space industry.

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is the only vehicle in the current U.S. fleet designed to send astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, and that singular capability makes it the load-bearing element of the Artemis II mission.

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As four astronauts get set to blast off on humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century, comparisons between Apollo and NASA’s new Artemis program are inevitable. The world’s first lunar visitors orbited the moon on Apollo 8.