The crowds gathered at the Kennedy Space Centre watched the sky anxiously. Thousands had come to watch Artemis IArtemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars. being launched by its huge SLSShort for "Space Launch System". rocket. Some had slept overnight in campervans to get the best possible view. Standing taller than Big Ben¹, and capable of generating 3,924 tons of thrust², the rocket was billed as "bigger, louder and more impressive than any you've seen before".

The main worry was rain. To reduce the chances of something going wrong, space rockets are only launched in dry conditions. But Florida is famous for its thunderstorms at this time of year. In recent months, the lightning towers beside the launch pad had been struck several times.

The launch was originally scheduled for 29 August. On that occasion it was a problem with one of the engines that sent the crowds home disappointed. But this time all went well.

The aim of the six-week mission is to send an unmanned test capsule called OrionIn Greek mythology, he was a giant huntsman. to the Moon. After looping round it, Orion will return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean. If all goes well, Artemis II will make the same journey next year with four astronauts on board.

Orion, which is 26 feet long, consists of two parts: the capsule and the service module. The capsule is where the astronauts sit and the module, which has been built by the European Space Agency (ESA), contains the guidance computers and the thrusters used to manoeuvre it.

The initial thrust to launch the craft comes from two booster rockets which burn six tonnes of solid fuel per second. After two minutes they fall away, leaving the main rocket. This burns 440,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 160,000 gallons of liquid oxygen in just eight minutes.

The biggest question is whether Orion's will stand up to the intense heat of re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Travelling at 32 times the speed of sound³, its heat shield will encounter temperatures of 2,200C - considerably more than the 1,600C the space shuttle had to cope with.

The initial goal of the Artemis programme is to take humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972⁴. The longer-term one is to take them to Mars.

The plan includes building a space station orbiting the Moon, called Gateway, which Orion will dock with. The astronauts will transfer from the space station to another craft for the final descent to the Moon.

At the end of their time there, the landing craft will return them to Gateway, and they will return to Earth on Orion.

By 2030 there should also be the first ever Moon base, where roving vehicles will be stored and astronauts can stay for a week or more.

Nasa is particularly keen to put a woman on the Moon, and someone from an ethnic minority, to show that space exploration is open to all. It is also hoped, because of the ESA's involvement, that the first Europeans will walk on the Moon.

Yes: To build a space station orbiting the Moon, and a base on its surface, would be a huge step forward in space exploration. And even more importantly, it would pave the way for the colonisation of Mars.

No: The Apollo programme was ended because there seemed little to be gained from exploring the Moon further. There is no reason to think that the Artemis programme will produce anything more.

Or... This may be a new chapter for Nasa, but the real running in the space race is being made by private companies. Elon Musk's SpaceX is much more likely to succeed in setting up a Mars colony.