NASA launched their new Orion space capsule Friday morning.
The rocket carrying the capsule launched at 7:05 a.m from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, according to the New York Times. It was supposed to launch Thursday, but it was cancelled due to mechanical complications with the rocket’s fuel and the wind for that day. The flight of Orion costs $375 million and is testing mechanics for launching from and returning to Earth.
USA Today reported statistics on the rocket ship, including that it was 243 feet high and required around 2 million pounds of thrust to launch. There will be 17 separations for the ship, and it is expected to fly 3,600 miles high in altitude.
This is the first of two planned unmanned test flights, with the next one scheduled for 2018, according to NYT. A manned spaceflight with astronauts in Orion is expected three years after that test flight, with an expectation by NASA to at some point be able transport people as far as Mars.