Photos: Orion launches at dawn

This video recaps the Orion spacecraft and its Delta 4-Heavy rocket preparations for launch on the Exploration Flight Test No. 1.

A record number of would-be space travelers have applied to join NASA’s corps of astronauts to fly aboard the International Space Station, the Orion crew capsule, or commercial spaceships built by Boeing and SpaceX, the space agency announced Friday.

NASA astronaut Rex Walheim says the Orion EFT-1 test flight represents the opening of a new era for the space agency.