Had the mission been successful, the UK would have been one of only nine countries that could launch craft into Earth's orbit.

Named for the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt - and Apollo's twin sister - Artemis aims to return astronauts to the moon's surface as early as 2025.

The Space Launch System has been under development for more than a decade, with years of delays and cost overruns.

The political fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine has already been a boon for SpaceX's Falcon 9, which has swept up other customers severing ties with Moscow's increasingly isolated space sector.