While the US President Barack Obama's expert panel reviewing the US human spaceflight plans and priorities is yet to deliver its final report to the White House, the country's space agency NASA has unveiled its Ares 1-X test rocket.

The pristine white, super-slim, 327 feet tall Ares I-X rocket, which was rolled out of the gigantic Vehicle Assembly Building shortly after 1:30 a. m. Tuesday, and made its way to the Kennedy Space Center's seaside launch pad.

The Ares I-X rocket is a demonstrator for the NASA vehicle that would be taking its new astronaut crewship into orbit in the next decade, in case its plans get the mandatory go-ahead from the government.

With its test launch currently scheduled for 8 a. m. next Tuesday, the Ares I-X will make an unmanned, two-minute flight, climbing nearly 25 miles into the sky, to check out crucial design concepts and collect engineering data, before splashing down in the Atlantic.

Meanwhile, noting that the Ares I-X itself cannot be called a moon rocket, the NASA engineers plan to launch the demonstrator regardless of what the final report of the White House review panel may be.

Flight manager Bob Ess said: "This particular rocket is what we need to get data to build a class of rockets that will eventually go to the moon. So for us, it's a step in the right direction."