Nasa ignites huge Mars rocket with fiery test in Utah desert

Larger version of solid rocket booster used on shuttle will form part of Space Launch System propelling astronauts beyond Earth's orbit

Nasa has successfully tested a huge rocket motor that will one day propel astronauts out of Earth's orbit and towards Mars.

It was the second and final test-firing of the solid rocket booster designed for Nasa's Space Launch System (SLS). The debut launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center in 2018 will not carry people, but a few years later astronauts are scheduled to climb aboard for a flight near the moon.