NASA has just pulled off something incredible by performing the most powerful test firing ever for NASA’s next rocket that could take mankind to Mars. It is called the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and it would be capable of carrying humans and cargo to the moon, Mars, and even deeper into space.

The test happened Feb. 21 at the Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi, and involved RS-25 engines that reached the highest power they have, with incredible video showing a huge plume of smoke billowing accross the launch pad. They revved the RS-25 engines to 113 percent thrust for 260 seconds during the test.

When the SLS is ready to be launched, four of these RS-25 engines will create an astonishing 2 million pounds of thrust, with a pair of boosters on the SLS adding another 6 million pounds of thrust. That will allow the SLS to carry 26 metric tons into space, and when it is put through its final configuration, it will be able to carry 45 metric tons.

“Operators powered one of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) engines up to 113 percent thrust level, the highest RS-25 power level yet achieved, during a test on Feb. 21 at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss,” reads the NASA statement. “The test lasted 260 seconds with power levels at 113 percent for 50 seconds of the test. This was the third full-duration test conducted on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis this year. NASA has been using the stand since January 2015 to test RS-25 engines for use on its new SLS rocket.”