Nasa has approved construction of the world's most powerful rocket
designed to take astronauts to Mars.
The $7bn (£4.2bn) Space Launch System (SLS) is scheduled to blast off
for a test launch in November 2018.
It will potentially take humans to the red planet for the first time
by the 2030s.
Nasa administrator Charles Bolden said: "We are on a journey of
scientific and human exploration that leads to Mars.
"And we're firmly committed to building a launch vehicle and other
supporting systems that will take us on that journey."
The SLS will have a lift capacity of up to 143-tonnes which means it
can travel deep into the solar system.
Nasa's associate administrator Robert Lightfoot said: "Our nation is
embarked on an ambitious space exploration programme, and we owe it to
the American taxpayers to get it right.
"After rigorous review, we're committing today to a funding level and
readiness date that will keep us on track to sending humans to Mars in
the 2030s - and we're going to stand behind that commitment."
The funding was approved after a smaller model of the rocket passed an
internal review.
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