NASA on Friday successfully launched its next-generation spaceship Orion on a short, but highly anticipated flight designed to test a capsule that the United States hopes will someday fly to Mars, dpa reported. The rocket carrying the Orion capsule - but no astronauts - passed several key milestones in the first hour of its four-and-one-half-hour flight that began on schedule at 7:05 am (1205 GMT). Bright flames sparked from under the rocket's three boosters, igniting clouds of billowing white smoke before the rocket lifted skyward. It was visible only a matter of seconds before disappearing into thick purple clouds. Mark Geyer, Orion programme manager, said it was "extremely exciting" to see the rocket launch after a one-day postponement caused by a problem with fuel valves and stiff winds. NASA officials said everything was going "extremely well" in the initial part of the flight. It jettisoned two of its boosters and separated from the service module - a piece of the system that in the future will be supplied by the European Space Agency. The rocket had performed as programmed a number of "barbecue rolls," in which the vehicle made manoeuvres "resembling meat turning on a spit." The rocket then "inserted itself into a picture perfect orbit" about 900 kilometres above Earth less than one hour into the flight, NASA said. The Orion capsule, which closely resembles those used in NASA's Apollo missions to the moon more than 40 years ago, sat atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket at liftoff from Kennedy Space Center on Florida's east coast. -- SPA 20:53 LOCAL TIME 17:53 GMT تغريد
