8 charts reveal everything you need to know about the monster rocket NASA is building to take astronauts to Mars

This rocket is designed for NASA's future deep-space missions to an asteroid, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Taller than the Statue of Liberty and capable of carrying more than twice the payload weight of any of NASA'S former space shuttles, the Space Launch System will transport four astronauts at a time on board the agency's Orion spacecraft farther into space than any human has ever ventured. The first unmanned test flight of this rocket is scheduled for September 2018.

NASA's Marhsall Space Flight Center has created a series of charts and infographics that show just how revolutionary this rocket will be for the future of spaceflight.