SpaceX has made history.
The aerospace manufacturer, founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has officially launched its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule, marking the first time astronauts have flown into orbit aboard a private company's spacecraft. It's also marks the first manned U.S. space mission since the space shuttle program ended nearly decade ago.
"This is the culmination of a dream," Musk told CBS News about the historic launch. "This is a dream come true. In fact, it feels surreal. If you asked me when starting SpaceX if this would happen, I’d be like, one percent — 0.1 percent chance."
Saturday's launch occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m. ET at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, the chairman of the National Space Council, were in attendance.
You can check out the launch below.
Veteran NASA fliers Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will spend approximately 19 hours on the spacecraft before arriving at the International Space Station. It is unclear how long they will remain on the ISS.
The launch was originally scheduled to take place Wednesday, but bad weather forced officials to call it off just minutes before liftoff. In the hours leading up to Saturday's launch, there were concerns that the historic flight would be thwarted once again, as experts forecasted a 70 percent chance for favorable weather: "But things can still change. If at any time, the weather shifts and violates some of the pre-set rules for conditions, the launch could be called off," an official told CNN just 45 minutes left on the countdown.
"They’re laying the foundation for a new era in human spaceflight," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said prior to the launch. "It’s an era in human spaceflight where more space is going to be available to more people than ever before."
Check out some of the reactions to the historic moment below.
