Ares I-X Forward Skirt Extension Separation Test

Test in Development of NASA's New Crew Rocket is Successful The development of NASA's next-generation crew launch vehicle, the Ares I rocket, took another step forward on Jan. 29, 2009, as Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, successfully tested a critical piece. ATK conducted a full-scale separation test of the forward skirt extension for the Ares I-X flight test at its facility in Promontory, Utah. The Ares I-X test launch is scheduled to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during 2009. Credit: NASA/ATK