spacetoday.net: Orion abort system test a success

Orion abort system test a success

Posted: Sun, Jul 7, 2019, 10:17 AM ET (1417 GMT)
NASA performed a successful in-flight test of the Orion spacecraft's abort system Tuesday morning. The refurbished Peacekeeper booster motor carrying a boilerplate Orion and its launch abort system (LAS) lifted off from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 46 at 7 am EDT (1100 GMT). The LAS fired 55 seconds after liftoff, pulling the capsule away from the booster before jettisoning. NASA said immediately after the test that it appeared to go as planned, with more details about the test expected later this morning. The LAS was tested under conditions it would experience should it have to pull an Orion spacecraft away from an SLS during ascent.