NASA to test Orion launch abort system

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency and Alliant Techsystems Inc. say they are planning the first full-scale test of the Orion crew capsule launch abort system.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Alliant say the first full-scale test firing of the motor for the new launch abort system will be conducted Nov. 20 at the company's launch systems facility in Promontory, Utah.

The launch abort system will be located atop the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The abort motor is designed to pull the crew module away from the Ares I launch vehicle during an emergency situation on the launch pad or during the first 300,000 feet after launch.

NASA said the event will mark the first such test since the Apollo Program tested its launch escape system in the 1960s.