WATCH: Video shows how Artemis 1 launch appeared to turn night to day
NASA's new moon rocket blasted off on its debut flight with three test dummies aboard early Wednesday, bringing the U.S. a big step closer to putting astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time since the end of the Apollo program 50 years ago.
The rocket at 1:47 a.m. Wednesday on a test flight scheduled to last 25 days.
The rocket lit up the night sky, appearing to turn it from night to day.
Watch the astonishing video in the video player above.
The liftoff marked the start of NASA's Artemis lunar-exploration program, named after Apollo's mythological twin sister.
The space agency is aiming to send four astronauts around the moon on the next flight, in 2024, and land humans there as early as 2025.
Watch up-close video of the launch in the video player above.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
