(MENAFN- The Peninsula) A new US space capsule, Orion, circled the Earth twice before plunging into the ocean yesterday in a flawless test flight that opened a new chapter in human deep space travel.
The mission was the first in more than four decades of a new US spacecraft intended to carry humans to the Moon, an asteroid, or Mars.
"We as a species are meant to push human presence into the solar system, and this is a first step," said Nasa associate administrator for human exploration, Bill Gerstenmaier.
The unmanned vessel soared into space at 7:05 am (1205 GMT) atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket that rumbled and roared as it climbed into the pastel skies over the Florida coast at sunrise, leaving a plume of smoke in its wake.
"It was just a blast to see how well the rocket did," said Orion programme manager Mark Geyer, after technical issues with the rocket and wind gusts delayed the first launch attempt Thursday.
"We really pushed Orion as much as we could to give us real data that we can use to improve Orion's design going forward."
The four-and-a-half hour flight was "picture-perfect" and "a significant milestone for America's space program," said Nasa commentator Rob Navias.
"There is your new spacecraft, America," he said as live aerial images showed the capsule floating toward the Pacific Ocean aided by three parachutes.
Nasa engineers will carefully study the data it collected - particularly regarding the performance of the heat shield - in the days and weeks to come to see how the capsule withstood the stress of space flight. Live video images from the spacecraft showed stunningly high views of Earth as well as the capsule's dramatic return to the Pacific Ocean.
A trio of Nasa astronauts watched on large televisions at Kennedy Space Center and bumped fists when Orion splashed down, as the packed press room erupted in cheers.
"We have kind of turned a corner from the post shuttle period and it is nice to see the new vehicle up in space," said astronaut Rex Walheim, still grinning after the successful test.
"It has got a lot of pieces of the puzzle to go yet but we are making tremendous progress," he said.
The United States has been unable to send astronauts to the International Space Station since the shuttle program ended in 2011 after three decades, leaving no option but to pay Russia to carry astronauts on its Soyuz capsules at a cost of $71m per seat.
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