Nasa returning to the Moon with mega rocket launch

CAPE CANAVERAL: Third time´s the charm?

After two failed attempts, Nasa plans to launch its new mega Moon rocket early on Wednesday from Florida, less than a week after the massive machine withstood a hurricane.

“Our time is coming. And we hope that that is on Wednesday,” said Mike Sarafin, the manager of the much-delayed Artemis 1 mission, at Nasa headquarters.

The Artemis 1 mission, a test flight without astronauts, represents the first step in the US space agency´s plan to build a lasting presence on the Moon, and taking lessons from there to prepare for a future voyage to Mars.

Named after the sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, the new space program comes 50 years after humans last set foot on lunar soil.

The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket, the most powerful ever designed by Nasa, is set for Wednesday at 1:04 am local time (0604 GMT), with a possible launch window of two hours.