A US rocket capable of powering astronauts to the moon — the first such mission in half a century — blasted off on its maiden voyage on Wednesday morning, opening a new chapter in American space exploration and intensifying a space race with China.
The launch, at 1.48am from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, came after two previous attempts were called off in August and September because of leaking hydrogen fuel lines.
Nasa reported another leaking valve in a fuel line less than three hours before Wednesday’s launch, though engineers were able to tighten it and stop the leak in time to meet a two-hour launch window.
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