PHOTOS: SpaceX completes historic manned launch, sending 2 NASA astronauts into orbit from American soil
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on May 30, 2020 showsA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off from launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2020. - NASA astronauts Hurley and Bob
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After some rocky weather threatened to scrub the launch for a second time, SpaceX successfully sent the Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit, making it the first manned launch from American soil since 2011 and the first for a private space company.
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken have now made history and are on their way to the International Space Station.
Here are some photos of the historic day.
BEFORE THE LAUNCH
Photo by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
LAUNCH PHOTOS
Photo by Saul Martinez/Getty Images
Photo by Red Huber/Getty Images
Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on May 30, 2020 showsA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off from launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2020. - NASA astronauts Hurley and Bob
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
SPECTATOR SHOTS
Photo by Saul Martinez/Getty Images
Photo by Red Huber/Getty Images
Photo by Red Huber/Getty Images
Spectators gather in Marina Park ahead of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida May 30, 2020 in Titusville, Florida. (Photo by Red Huber/Getty Images)
Photo by Red Huber/Getty Images
WHAT'S NEXT?
From here, Hurley and Behnken will test the Crew Dragon spacecraft's system for the first time in orbit while traveling to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Crew Dragon spacecraft is capable of staying in orbit for about 210 days but the specific duration of their mission has not been determined yet. NASA will make this decision based on the readiness of the next commercial crew launch.
RELATED: After the manned launch, what is next for space exploration?
When the mission ends, NASA said the Crew Dragon spacecraft will undock with the two astronauts on board and depart the International Space Station. They will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and splashdown just off of Florida's Atlantic Coast. The SpaceX Navigator recovery vessel will bring them back to Cape Canaveral.
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