SpaceX’s historic all-civilian flight blasted off Wednesday night, sending four non-professional astronauts into space for a three-day trip in orbit.
Dubbed Inspiration4, the mission launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida just after 8 p.m.
During their livestreamed ascent, some of the crew gave a “thumbs up” and pumped their fists in the air in celebration of the successful liftoff.
The four private citizens — two men and two women — will spend three days circling the world at altitude of 335 miles — about 75 miles higher than the International Space Station and on a level with the Hubble Space Telescope.
The amateur astronauts — Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski and Dr. Sian Proctor — have been training for months since the flight crew was announced in March.
