Rollback of Orion's Ascent Abort-2 Test

On July 1, 2019, workers prepare the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) test vehicle for launch at Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida after rollback of the integration facility. A fully functional Launch Abort System (LAS) mated to a test version of the Orion spacecraft are on a Northrop Grumman provided booster on the pad for launch on NASA’s AA-2 flight test on July 2, 2019. During AA-2, the booster will send the LAS and Orion to an altitude of 31,000 feet, traveling at more than 1,000 mph. The LAS’ three motors will work together to pull the crew module away from the booster and prepare it for splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The flight test will prove that the abort system can pull crew to safety in the unlikely event of an emergency during ascent.