NASA’s new Orion spacecraft is complete. The spacecraft received its final finishing touches on Thursday, marking the end of construction on the first spacecraft designed to send humans beyond the moon into deep space, including a journey to Mars that starts with its first test flight on December 4.

The assembled Orion crew module, service module, launch abort system and adapter will remain in Kennedy’s Launch Abort System Facility until its scheduled rollout to the launch pad, which is set for November 10. From the launch pad, the spacecraft will be lifted onto the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket that will bring it into space for its uncrewed flight test.

Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, said in a statement, “This is just the first of what will be a long line of exploration missions beyond low earth orbit, and in a few years we will be sending our astronauts to destinations humans have never experienced.” He continued, “It’s thrilling to be a part of the journey now, at the beginning.”

In the December flight test, Orion will travel 3,600 miles from Earth on a two-orbit flight to ensure its critical systems are prepared for the challenges facing deep space missions. In the 4.5-hour flight, called Exploration Flight Test-1, Orion will travel farther than any crewed spacecraft has traveled in over 40 years before returning to Earth at speeds close to 20,000 mph and generating temperatures up to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to nasaspaceflight.com, it has been approximately three years since the first panels of the EFT-1 Orion were welded together at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans.