ANKARA
NASA launched Orion, the next-generation spacecraft that could one day send astronauts to Mars, into space Friday.
During its first test flight, the unmanned capsule will orbit Earth twice and travel 3,600 miles into space.
“The flight is designed to test many of the most vital elements for human spaceflight and will provide critical data needed to improve Orion’s design and reduce risks to future mission crew,” NASA said. “[It] will evaluate launch and high speed re-entry systems such as avionics, attitude control, parachutes and the heat shield."
The capsule was launched at 7:05 a.m local time (12:05 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida and is scheduled to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, about 600 miles southwest of San Diego at 11:29 a.m (16:29 GMT).
NASA said a Thursday launch attempt was scrubbed due to valve issues that could not be fixed in time.
It said the Orion spacecraft is built to take humans farther than they have ever gone before.
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