Nasa’s Artemis mission to the Moon finally got off the ground this morning after a hair-raising few hours which saw another fuel leak and a problem with a kill switch to destroy the rocket in the event it was going off course.

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Nasa’s first female flight director, gave the go for launch shortly before 6.40am GMT, commencing the countdown from Firing Room One.

The Mega Moon rocket took off in a giant cloud of steam at 0650 GMT watched by tens of thousands of people who had lined the Space Coast around Cape Canaveral, Florida.

It is the most powerful rocket to ever leave the Earth.

The decision to launch at all this week was touch-and-go after Hurricane Nicole tore a strip off the Orion crew module when it made landfall at the weekend.

But there were more issues during countdown when a hydrogen leak was detected, a problem that has dogged previous launches and wet dress rehearsals.

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