We want to take you live to Cape Canaveral in Florida for what is hoped to be something that has not been seen in more than 50 years. The first American spacecraft to attempt to land on the Moon in more than half a century is scheduled to blast off in the next few minutes. Taking us through the launch is our science correspondent, Jonathan Amos, and my colleague, Rachel McCadam.

You're with BBC News. We are just over two Two minutes before the planned launch and maiden voyage of the Vulcan rocket. The launch is scheduled for 7:18 GMT or 2:18 local time in Cape Canaveral in Florida, which is where the launch is due to take place. I'm joined by our science correspondent, John Amos. So, John, what are we expecting to see in the next few minutes?

Vulcan. They've never flown it before, but it has a tremendous pedigree. The rockets that came before this from ULA have launched many national security missions for United States, spy satellites, weather satellites, missions to Mars, all sorts of things. This is their new rocket. On the top of it today, we have the Paragrin lander aiming to make the first commercial landing, soft landing. I emphasize soft landing on the moon, and also the first American soft landing on the moon. Since the end of the Apollo era, Apollo 17 was the last soft landing. You get down in a state where you can get back off again. This particular spacecraft will stay down, but it doesn't want to crash into the moon. Like we've seen so many previous ventures, they've been crashing into the moon quite recently because they haven't got their descent thrusters working as they should do. Hopefully, they will get this right on this lander, Peregrin. It's tucked away in that cone at the top of the rocket. Any minute now, we should be seeing this rocket lift off from the pad.

Yes, John, fingers crossed because these launches can get called off fairly last minute, can't they? Tell us about the window that they have today?

They've got about 45 minutes to get off today. It varies depending on which day of the week, a month they go. They have had an attempt before Christmas where they thought they were going to launch. That was, I think, an instantaneous launch. They had to get off on the button, but they have 45 minutes to get away today. So if they do encounter a technical hitch just as they get towards that lift-off point, then they can troubleshoot for a little while before calling it a day. If they call it a day because they're unhappy about some sensor, then they can come back tomorrow. Although the weather, as I understand it, in Florida is not so good. So about a minute away from launch. Now, that rocket is full of methane, liquid methane, liquid oxygen. Now, that is what is going to power it off the pad. And it should fly for a couple of minutes before the solid rocket boosters on the side come away. Then it'll keep going off into space. So fingers crossed. Yeah.

Ten seconds to launch now, John. So we'll just sit back and watch. You can see the engine firing up.

And lift off of the first United Launch Alliance, Vulcan Rocket, launching a new era in space flight to the moon and beyond.

There we have it. The Vulcan rocket has lifted off, firing into the air. If you're watching on BBC iPlayer or BBC News, you'll be able to see the pictures of this rocket firing up into the air after it launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

It's a good flight so far, Rachel. We're waiting on the first milestone, which is the completion of the burn from the two solid rocket boosters on the sides of the core, the main stage of the Vulcan Those solid boosters that help it get off the pad, they'll burn for about a minute and 50 seconds, and then they'll shut down and they'll be ejected off to the side, and the main core stage will continue on for a few minutes more. But so far, it's looking good. The rocket, as we just hear from the commentator from Mission Control, says they've gone through max Q, which is the point in the ascent where the vehicle is experiencing maximum aerodynamic pressure. So The loads on the front of that rocket are at their greatest. As it carries on, the air will get thinner and thinner, and then the pressure that that rocket is feeling will get less and less as it climbs skyward. We're heading out east over the Atlantic today, lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. There go the solid rocket boosters falling away. Now we are on just the two main BE4 engines at the base of that Vulcan rocket, and they'll keep pushing away.

They'll keep pushing away until 4 minutes and 58 seconds after lift off. And then the main part of the rocket, that core stage, will separate from the upper stage, which is called Centaur, and the Centaur will ignite its engine. It's got a tank full of liquid hydrogen and oxygen, and it will continue on then for another few minutes. We're not expecting the lander to come off the top of the rocket until about 50 minutes after lift-off. There you are. It's a marvelous view of the solid rocket boosters falling away. Absolutely terrific.