Launch!

LRO and LCROSS lifted off at 5:32 PM...we're on the way to the Moon!

Our video feed of the launch shown in the LSR was delayed by a few seconds, so there was a strange few seconds during which our countdown had passed through zero but the rocket was still on the pad. But the engines lit and it slowly ascended into a cloudy sky.

Our colleagues in Florida ran outside to see the launch once it had cleared the tower, but it had already gone into the clouds by that time.

NASA TV carried the view from the camera on the side of the upper stage, looking Earthward...spectacular view as we cleared the clouds and headed into space. Several minutes later, we saw the Atlas booster separate. The Centaur upper stage fired and then the payload fairing was jettisoned successfully, triggering a round of applause here in the LSR.

The Centaur will fire for about 40 minutes to give us sufficient velocity to reach the Moon.