NASA gets its mojo back with a stunning nighttime launch of the SLS rocket

Enlarge / NASA’s Space Launch System rocket lifts off on Wednesday morning from Kennedy Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.—The skies were auspicious during the wee hours of Wednesday morning, as the Artemis I mission ticked down its final seconds until liftoff.

Ten, nine, eight seconds …

Shining brightly, near the southern horizon, was the constellation Orion, namesake to NASA’s new deep space vehicle.