NASA's Orion spacecraft soars into space

2014-12-05 100

NASA’s Orion space capsule blasted off for an unmanned test flight on Friday from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Gusty winds and a last-minute technical issue stopped the launch one day earlier.

NASA hopes astronauts will fly to and from Mars on board similar capsules.

After three and a half hours, Orion will prepare for its return to Earth.

Four hours, 23 minutes after take off, Orion is scheduled to land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Rescue teams will retrieve the capsule and take it to San Diego.