The Ares rocket: The next generation of space-flight?

With NASA retiring the Space Shuttle fleet in 2010, all eyes are on its next generation of space vehicles and today, the US Space Agency unveiled the Ares I-X test rocket.

The first new space vehicle to stand in NASA's Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building in the past 25 years, The Ares I-X rocket stands 327 feet high and is now fully assembled for its test flight in October.

It is a key component in NASA's new space transportation system that will aim to take man back to the Moon and on to Mars.

The Ares I rocket will be used to launch the Orion capsule, the next man-controlled space craft destined to take over from the Space Shuttle.

The craft was finished a few days ago with the final elements being constructed on the 13 August; them being the stacking of the simulated crew module and launch abort system on the mobile launcher platform.

"More than three years of hard work with the NASA and contractor team has brought us to this historic moment," said Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager. "This flight test is a critical step in continuing our design process for the Ares vehicle and the first flight for the Constellation Program."

The test flight will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test the rocket's hardware as well as the ground operations associated with the Ares I crew launch vehicle. The data collected during the launch will allow NASA to gather critical data during ascent of the integrated Orion spacecraft and the Ares I rocket.

The test flight is currently scheduled for 31 October with the completed Ares-Orion system ready by 2015.

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