Liftoff Videos

Every mission, with the videos that tell it

SLS

NASA's Space Launch System lifting off with Orion on the Artemis II mission.

Photo: NASA / Public domain (US government work)

The Space Launch System, or SLS, is NASA’s super heavy-lift rocket for the Artemis programme. Congress ordered it in 2011 to replace the retiring Space Shuttle, and it reuses Shuttle hardware: four RS-25 engines on the Boeing-built core stage and two five-segment solid rocket boosters. It always launches from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. Its first flight was the uncrewed Artemis I in November 2022. Its only crewed flight so far is Artemis II in April 2026, which made it the second rocket, after the Saturn V, to carry people beyond low Earth orbit. Its upper stage is the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage.

Events

  • Artemis III

    Artemis III was meant to be the landing. By 2026 the lunar landers were not ready and the Gateway station that Orion was to meet had been dropped, so NASA rebuilt the mission around what could fly in 2027.

    3 videos
    • NASA
    • The Space Race
    • Cosmic Enigma

  • Artemis II

    Artemis II was the first crewed flight of the Artemis programme and the first time people had flown to the Moon since Apollo 17. Orion Integrity was the first crewed spacecraft to fly on the Space Launch System.

    5 videos
    • Everyday Astronaut
    • NASA

  • Artemis I

    Artemis I flew Orion to the Moon without a crew to prove that the rocket and the capsule were ready for people.

    1 video
    • Primal Space

Videos on this topic

The videos, in date order

Drag, zoom or press play to watch them on this page.

  1. Artemis 1: Why Orion Flew a 26-Day Route Around the Moon

    Primal Space

  2. Super Heavy’s 33 Raptors vs Saturn V’s Five F1 Engines Explained

    Curious Droid

  3. Aerojet AJ260: The Giant Solid Motor Behind the Shuttle Boosters

    Curious Droid

  4. Artemis II Explained: Crew, SLS, Orion and Flight Timeline

    Everyday Astronaut

  5. Artemis II Countdown: Crew Boards Orion on SLS at Pad 39B

    Everyday Astronaut

  6. Artemis II Passes Apollo 13’s Distance Record on Lunar Approach

    Everyday Astronaut

  7. Artemis II Re-entry and Splashdown: Orion Integrity Returns

    Everyday Astronaut

  8. Starship HLS: Why Landing on the Moon Needs 15+ Refueling Launches

    Everyday Astronaut

  9. How NASA Recovered Space Shuttle Boosters From the Atlantic

    Scott Manley

  10. Starship Flight 14 Reaches Orbit and Three Falcons Fly in One Day

    Scott Manley

  11. Artemis 3 Update: Rocket Progress, Landers and the 2028 Plan

    NASA

  12. Artemis III: Orion Docks With Blue Moon and Starship in Orbit

    The Space Race

  13. Starship’s 33 Raptor Engines: Four Reasons Behind Super Heavy

    Celebrity Files

  14. Artemis 3 Becomes an Earth-Orbit Rehearsal for Moon Landers

    Cosmic Enigma
Play video: Artemis 3 Becomes an Earth-Orbit Rehearsal for Moon Landers

Artemis 3 Becomes an Earth-Orbit Rehearsal for Moon Landers

Cosmic Enigma

Duration 16:54

Watch video

Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

All the videos

  5. Artemis II Passes Apollo 13’s Distance Record on Lunar Approach

    Launch coverageEveryday Astronaut · 6:27:41

    Mission: Artemis II

  6. Artemis II Countdown: Crew Boards Orion on SLS at Pad 39B

    Launch coverageEveryday Astronaut · 8:03:45

    Mission: Artemis II

  7. Artemis II Explained: Crew, SLS, Orion and Flight Timeline

    Mission explainerEveryday Astronaut · 13:59

    Mission: Artemis II

  8. Artemis III: Orion Docks With Blue Moon and Starship in Orbit

    Mission explainerThe Space Race · 20:04

    Mission: Artemis III

  10. Artemis 3 Becomes an Earth-Orbit Rehearsal for Moon Landers

    Mission explainerCosmic Enigma · 16:54

    Mission: Artemis III

  11. Starship HLS: Why Landing on the Moon Needs 15+ Refueling Launches

    Vehicle explainerEveryday Astronaut · 1:45:04

  12. Artemis 1: Why Orion Flew a 26-Day Route Around the Moon

    Mission explainerPrimal Space · 8:14

    Mission: Artemis I

  13. Artemis 3 Update: Rocket Progress, Landers and the 2028 Plan

    Press briefingNASA · 2:05:15

    Mission: Artemis III

  14. Artemis II Re-entry and Splashdown: Orion Integrity Returns

    Launch coverageEveryday Astronaut · 3:18:57

    Mission: Artemis II

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