NASA’s program to build a heavy-lift rocket capable of launching astronauts into deep space is moving from the design to the development phase.

The Space Launch System, which is designed to have an unprecedented lift capability of 143 tons, is scheduled to make its initial launch no later than November 2018.

“We are on a journey of scientific and human exploration that leads to Mars,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. “And we’re firmly committed to building the launch vehicle and other supporting systems that will take us on that journey.”

The rocket is part of NASA’s plan to get humans to Mars by the 2030s.

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