NASA moved a 322-foot-tall rocket out to the launchpad on Saturday, a key step as the agency prepares for a long-awaited mission to send four astronauts around the moon.

Nasa's mega rocket has been moved to the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the final preparations get underway for the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.

The launch window for the Artemis II mission opens on February 6, with the rocket beginning its move towards the launchpad at the US space agency’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Saturday.

While the Starship is lost, the mission's first-stage booster successfully returned to the launch tower, where it was caught by the tower's robotic arms.