NASA is gearing up toward the launch of its next-generation rocket system, called the Space Launch System, next year that will carry new spacecraft into space for further exploration of the solar system and the moon. NASA’s plan includes developing a safety system to contain the massive amount of energy and heat that will be generated by the SLS during launch.

NASA tested a safety system this month that will be used with SLS in order to protect the spacecraft, rocket, payload and eventually crew that will be on board.

The system, called Ignition Overpressure Protection and Sound Suppression, sends a deluge of water 100 feet into the air. During the test, the water deluge system released about 450,000 gallons of water across the mobile launcher and flame deflector of Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B.

The Youtube video is impressive, showing a massive amount of water engulfing the launch platform and releasing the water in all of about 60 seconds.

The Space Launch System has a planned launch date for the Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) in December of 2019 with the first mission launching the Orion spacecraft into space without a manned crew. This first mission will fly to the Moon after deploying its payload of deep space monitoring satellites around Earth. Orion will travel about 62 miles above the surface of the moon before using the moon’s gravity to take it back to Earth. While EM-1 will be a test of the future spacecraft and rocket, EM-2 will see a manned mission with a launch date in 2023 that will fly around the moon.