BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Despite inclement weather in Brevard County, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley arrived to Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A suited up and ready for lift-off.
The two boarded SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, about three hours before the Falcon 9 was scheduled to launch.
Behnken and Hurley are the two test pilots tasked with landing the Crew Dragon capsule on the International Space Station. The trip is expected to take 19 hours.
The mission marking the first time the space agency is collaborating with a private company to send humans into orbit. The launch making history in two ways: the first piloted mission from U.S. soil since 2011 and the first time astronauts will be sent to space on an American-made rocket and spacecraft not owned or operated by NASA.
Behnken and Hurley will be the only passengers on board. The two have been training for more than five years for the Demo-2 mission.
Wednesday’s launch was scrubbed moments before lift-off, so it will be take two for Behnken and Hurley Saturday. If it happens, you can watch the lift-off from various angles at clickorlando.com/watchparty.