Liftoff! Ascent Abort-2 Lifts Off from Space Launch Complex 46

The Ascent Abort-2 flight test of the launch abort system for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, featuring a test version of the crew module, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Tuesday, July 2, at 7 a.m. EDT — The Ascent Abort-2 flight test of the launch abort system for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, featuring a test version of the crew module, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Tuesday, July 2, at 7 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA

We have liftoff! A booster, carrying a fully functional Launch Abort System (LAS) and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 7 a.m. EDT.

The next event will be abort, approximately 55 seconds into the launch. The altitude will be 31,000 feet.