MIAMI: NASA's multi-billion dollar Orion capsule is poised for its first test launch Thursday, in a demonstration flight that aims to propel it higher than any spacecraft meant to carry humans in 40 years.
After launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida atop a powerful Delta IV rocket at 7:05 am (1205 GMT), the unmanned spacecraft should circle the Earth twice and reach a height of 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometers), more than 15 times the altitude of the orbiting International Space Station.
The crew capsule is scheduled to make a splash landing in the Pacific Ocean about four and a half hours later.
The weather forecast for launch was 60 percent favorable as of Monday, with the potential for showers and high winds raising some doubt about liftoff. The launch window stays open for two hours and 39 minutes.
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