What blood vessel carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart?

The aorta is the major artery that carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. After blood is oxygenated in the lungs, it returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins and enters the left atrium. From there, it moves into the left ventricle, which then contracts and pumps this oxygen-rich blood into the aorta. The aorta branches into various arteries, which distribute the oxygenated blood to various tissues and organs.

In contrast, the pulmonary vein carries oxygen-rich blood from the lungs back to the heart, specifically to the left atrium. The superior vena cava and inferior vena cava are large veins responsible for returning deoxygenated blood to the heart from the body; the superior vena cava drains blood from the upper body, while the inferior vena cava drains blood from the lower body. Thus, the aorta is the correct answer, as it is the vessel that specifically transports oxygen-rich blood away from the heart following the process of oxygenation.