NASA's Artemis II set to launch Wednesday around the Moon
NASA's Artemis II is set to launch Wednesday evening, sending astronauts around the Moon for the first time in decades.
This mission is a big deal because it'll be the first crewed flight using Boeing and Northrop Grumman's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Lockheed Martin's Orion capsule; basically, NASA is putting its classic hardware to the ultimate test as space travel gets more competitive.
SLS faces criticism despite $24B cost
SLS development comes with a more than $24 billion price tag and has been in the works since 2010.
It's not just about reaching the Moon; NASA wants to prove these systems are reliable, even though SLS has faced criticism for being expensive and slow.
To keep up with newer, cheaper players like SpaceX, NASA is teaming up with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin for lunar landers, but thanks to strong political support (especially from folks like Sen. Ted Cruz), SLS isn't going anywhere just yet.