NASA is calling its new rocket the next chapter in space exploration.

The Ares 1-X made its first journey on Tuesday — this time on the ground. A 7 hour, 4 mile rollout, docking the 327 foot rocket to its new launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Ares 1-X is scheduled to lift off on October 27 for its first suborbital test flight, a potential major turning point in the project. The Ares 1-X will carry no payload during the first flight.

But if the White House gives the Ares program the green light, the rocket will likely replace the Space Shuttle payload system and could begin carrying astronauts and equipment to the International Space Station within five years — with plans to act as the delivery system for manned trips to the moon and beyond.