The Artemis 1 launch was the first (and only) test launch of the SLS. It was successful, and yes, they launched it with expensive payload, the Orion capsule, wh

The Artemis 1 launch was the first (and only) test launch of the SLS. It was successful, and yes, they launched it with expensive payload, the Orion capsule, which was also tested successfully. On the other hand, the SLS development was and is probably a lot more expensive than for Starship, while being much less technologically advanced.