Orion spacecraft launch abort testing. Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) test vehicle at Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, USA. A fully functional Launch Abort System (LAS) has been assembled with a test version of the Orion spacecraft, on top of a rocket booster. The test launch took place the following day (2 July 2019). During AA-2, the booster sent the LAS and Orion to an altitude of nearly 10 kilometres. The LAS has three motors that work together to pull the crew module away from the booster and prepare it for splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean if a launch needs to be aborted in the event of an emergency during ascent. The first Orion crewed launches are scheduled for around 2023. The Orion spacecraft are intended for use in Earth orbit, and for human exploration of the Moon, the asteroids and of Mars. Photographed on 1 July 2019.