CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA kicked off a critical countdown test Friday for its new moon rocket, a 30-story behemoth that could make its first lunar test flight by summer. NASA plans to set a launch date after analyzing the results of the dress rehearsal for the Space Launch System rocket — SLS for short. Astronauts will strap in for the second test flight slated for 2024, looping around the moon and back. That would pave the way for astronauts landing on the moon around 2025, according to NASA. Towering 322 feet (98 meters), the rocket made its debut at the Kennedy Space Center launch pad two weeks ago.

Source: New York Times April 02, 2022 03:55 UTC