On October, 28 at 15:30 UTC the first test launch of Ares-1-X rocket was performed from a former shuttle launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA.

The flight was followed by the separation of the booster and the upper stage over the Pacific Ocean. The booster will be retrieved from the ocean by recovery ships for future analysis by NASA experts.

The solid-fueled rocket darted through low-level cumulus clouds, flying into the upper atmosphere before running out of fuel at 130,000 feet two minutes after liftoff.

More than 700 sensors on the launcher were programmed to collect information on pressures, vibrations, temperatures and aerodynamic loads. That data will be fed into powerful computer models to give Ares 1 designers a better idea of how the rocket actually performs.

The launch is NASA's first flight test for the new spacecraft, central to the agency's plans for human spaceflight after the shuttle fleet is retired in 2010-2011.