NASA has started working on plans for a massive rocket that could one day send people to Mars, according to the Daily Mail. The Space Launch System, or SLS, will have the potential to be the most powerful launch system ever made with deep space travel capabilities. The SLS will weigh 5.5 million pounds and have 8.4 million pounds of lift-off thrust.
It will also be one of the tallest space ships ever, at 322 ft. - taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Work has begun on a simulation core stage for the rocket. The core stage will be more than 200 ft. tall and store cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, according to a NASA press release.
"This hardware is an excellent proving ground for the core stage - from manufacturing and assembly to the launch site," said lead engineer for the core Shane Carpenter. "We don't want the first time we transport the core stage to be with flight hardware. That's why having a pathfinder is critical to the program."
The SLS is slated for a 2018 launch date, although it will not send live crew members just yet, according to Planetary. The SLS will send probes and satellites on its first mission.
