Ares 1-X was the first test flight of the Ares 1 development program. It was launched from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 28, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. EDT.
The vehicle used for the Ares I-X suborbital test flight was similar in shape, weight and size to the planned configuration of later Ares I vehicles.
The SRB was recovered after the test flight. Everything above that was a mock up fitted with sensors to test the flight characteristics of the vehicle, and was not recovered.
The Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) used was a stock booster from the shuttle program. While it was only four segments long, the SRB that will be used for the actual program will be five segments long. When the SRB was recovered after the flight it had sustained significant damage due to the failure of the parachute recover system, only one of the three chutes opened.
Ares I vehicles are will launch the Orion crew exploration vehicles into orbit. The Orion will replace the Space Shuttle as the main manned space flight vehicle of the United States.
First test flight of the Ares 1 rocket, as envisioned in a NASA CGI video.
Launch of the ARES-1X.
