NASA Rocket Launch Update: The NASA Ares 1-X has launched as of 11:30 a.m. EST, as scheduled for this morning in what appears to be a flawless launch.

Continued bad weather has plagued the launch of the 327-foot rocket, pushing scientists to spend their time testing and retesting systems after experiencing several lightening strikes in the area overnight, reports CBC.

Reuters reports: "The Ares 1-X is currently the world's tallest rocket." It is "a modified space shuttle booster outfitted with a faux second stage and a simulated Orion crew capsule", and "the first new rocket developed by NASA since the 1970s-era space shuttle. The test flight is intended to verify computer models used to design rockets."

NASA on Tuesday delayed the test flight of the unmanned prototype moon rocket due to poor weather. The attempt to launch the 327-foot (100-meter) Ares 1-X rocket was reset for 8 a.m. today, but word is still out as the rocket sits tight on its launch pad.

The flight is the centerpiece of a $445 million NASA technology demonstration program aimed at replacing the space shuttles, reports Reuters.