NASA has hit a major milestone in its mission to send humans into deep space and travel to Mars.

The space agency today for the first time successfully tested its new deep space RS-25 rocket engine at Stennis Space Center, a NASA rocket testing facility in Mississippi. The engine was fired up for 500 seconds, or about 8.5 minutes.

The next time the rocket fires for that long, it will be carrying humans on their first deep-space mission in more than 45 years.

“What a great moment for NASA and Stennis,” said Rick Gilbrech, director of the Stennis Space Center. “We have exciting days ahead with a return to deep space and a journey to Mars, and this test is a very big step in that direction.”

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