The launch follows a series of delays due to weather and mechanical issues.
The Artemis I rocket launched early Wednesday morning, the latest attempt to send an unmanned capsule near the moon after a series of postponements due to weather and mechanical issues.
NASA pushed back a takeoff scheduled for Monday after Hurricane Nicole made landfall about 85 miles south of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The launch marks the first step in an ambitious plan to establish a long-term presence on the moon for scientific discovery and economic development. Eventually, the Artemis expedition could lead to the first crewed space trip to Mars, according to NASA.
NASA has launched a website where the public can follow the progress of the Artemis I mission in real time.
Viewers can track how far the Orion spacecraft, which detached from the rocket, is from Earth and how close it is to the moon.
The website also shows how fast the spacecraft is traveling and how many days, hours and minutes have elapsed since the mission began.
The unmanned mission is headed back to the moon after liftoff was achieved at 1:47am ET.
NASA conducted a “Go-No Go Poll” resulting in a “GO” for launch in 10 minutes, at 1:47 a.m. ET.
-ABC News’ Gio Benitez
