Explore NASA's rich history and even feel the rumble of a launch at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

Fast forward to the present day. The Space Launch System has flown only once, during the Artemis I mission, and is preparing to fly again with Artemis II. According to the NASA Office of Inspector General, the Space Launch System costs $4 billion per flight, not to speak of the immense amount of money to develop the rocket.

SpaceX and Blue Origin hold Human Lander System (HLS) flight service contracts with NASA to ferry astronauts to and from lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon. “This is really the only pathway in order to achieve success with the lunar landing within the time frames that we are targeting,” Isaacman said.

Eight launches are scheduled worldwide this week, with Falcon 9 again dominating the launch schedule. SpaceX is set to launch a communications satellite and Starlink satellites this week from its Florida and California launch facilities.