EXPLAINER: NASA’s new mega moon rocket, Orion crew capsule

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is making another attempt to launch its new moon rocket on its first test flight. The 322-foot rocket will attempt to send an empty crew capsule into a far-flung lunar orbit. If all goes well, astronauts could strap in as soon as 2024. Liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center is set for early Wednesday morning. The launch comes 50 years after NASA’s famed Apollo moonshots. The new rocket and capsule kick off NASA’s Artemis program, named after Apollo’s mythological twin sister. The price tag for this single mission exceeds $4 billion.