NASA's Orion spacecraft successfully lifts off from Florida for first test flight

Florida: The first flight test of Orion, NASA's next-generation spacecraft, was held successfully on Friday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

"Orion launched at 7:05 am ET/12:05 UTC. Orion will orbit Earth twice, reaching a peak altitude of 3,600 miles," the official twitter handle of NASA tweeted.

The spacecraft is capable of sending astronauts on future missions to an asteroid and the journey to Mars.

"The Delta IV Heavy second stage rocket engine is now propelling #Orion's ascent to orbit," read another tweet from NASA.