NASA’s new moon rocket remained on track to blast off on a crucial test flight on Monday, despite a series of lightning strikes at the launch pad.
The 98-metre Space Launch System rocket is the most powerful ever built by NASA. It’s poised to send an empty crew capsule into lunar orbit, a half-century after NASA’s Apollo programme, which landed 12 astronauts on the moon.
Astronauts could return to the moon in a few years, if this six-week test flight goes well.