Update: For those that missed it because of work or what have you, I’ve included the splashdown clip after the launch video.

This morning, at about 7:05 AM, NASA’s Orion spacecraft rocketed off into space from Cape Canaveral. It is their hope that the Orion test flight will be the next step towards greater exploration of the planet  Mars…aaaaand that’s about as much as I understand about any of this.

Some of you may be wondering why we are so eager to set foot on the Red Planet. Well, according to an episode of Cosmos I watched one time, scientist believe that it is the closest thing to Earth that humans can inhabit before global warming makes our planet unlivable. So, this test flight…kind of a big deal.

Orion will be circling for about 5 hours before splashing back down. So keep your eyes online or up in the skies for her return.

You can watch the whole thing (including Michael Bay-styled thruster fires) below: