8 charts reveal mind-boggling numbers about the monster rocket NASA is building to shuttle astronauts to Mars

Earlier this month, NASA announced the first mission it will be launching aboard its monster rocket, called the Space Launch System.

In 2018, NASA will send 13 shoe-box sized satellites, called CubeSats, to study, for example, different aspects of life in space and ice deposits on the moon.

Eventually, this rocket is destined for NASA's future deep-space missions to 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 before. 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.