(CNN) -- NASA is set to launch the world's largest rocket Tuesday, conducting research to help return astronauts to the moon.
The 327-foot rocket, called the Ares I-X, is set to launch at 8 a.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA said. The empty rocket will help NASA collect information for future missions.
"Ares I-X will bring NASA one step closer to its exploration goals to return to the moon for ambitious exploration," NASA said in statement.
The launch, which NASA is calling a test, is among four test launches of Ares I-X that will go on until 2012.
The space agency hopes the rocket eventually will replace the aging space shuttle and conduct voyages to the moon and Mars.
NASA researchers have said that a trip to the moon could not happen before 2015.
The launch comes at a critical time, when NASA is waiting for President Obama to decide future funding for the agency.
An independent committee reviewing the future of space flight recently reported that the U.S. space program appears to be pursuing goals that exceed current funding.
The committee also recommended to the White House that funding for NASA's under-construction international space station should be extended until 2020.
Though the launch of Ares I-X is scheduled for early Tuesday, weather could cause the space agency to delay.
Late Monday, the agency said it had a 40 percent chance at launch because of bad weather. If weather conditions do not improve, NASA will launch Wednesday.
