NASA has successfully tested the launch abort system of its Orion space exploration vehicle, which completed its 97-second flight at the US Army’s White Sands Missile Range near Las Cruces at 7 a. m. on Thursday.

The recently-tested launch abort system is specifically designed for an instant pulling of the module holding the spacecraft’s crew away from the launch vehicle, either in the case of an emergency on the launch pad or during the spacecraft’s launch to orbit.

According to a NASA news release, the system reported instant activation, and the abort motor fired immediately after the “abort launch” command was given on Thursday morning. The 55-foot-tall launch abort vehicle and crew module replicate were propelled off the launch pad by the specially-designed motor, to reach a speed of nearly 445 miles per hour in three seconds.

If NASA is able to get its Orion program off the ground, the successful test of the spacecraft’s launch abort system – comprising three sets of rocket engines which can separate Orion from an exploding launch vehicle – will serve as a reassurance to all the capsule’s future occupants.

Commenting on the successful test of the Orion launch abort system, Orion program manager Cleon Lacefield – who is also the vice president of Lockheed Martin – said: “This test validated the amazing performance capability of Orion’s launch abort system.”