Astronauts make history with SpaceX launch

In a historic moment, SpaceX launched two American astronauts into orbit on May 30.

At 3:22 p.m., astronauts Robert L. Behnken and Douglas O. Hurley lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center’s launchpad in Florida that launched the Apollo missions – but their flight was not funded or operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Endeavour spacecraft was built and funded by SpaceX, a company founded by Elon Musk.

When the engines of the Falcon 9 rocket roared to life and lifted off, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were among those watching and cheering. Trump called it “an inspiration for our country,” and “a beautiful sight,” the New York Times reported.

“I’m so proud of the people at NASA, all the people that worked together, public and private,” Trump said. He also discussed the Space Force branch of the military and touted its role in moving the U.S. back to a spot of global leadership in space.

“With this launch the decades of lost years and little action are officially over,” said Trump. “A new age of American ambition has begun.”

Behnken and Hurley were selected to be the first passengers of a space capsule built by a private company. This was the first launch of American astronauts since 2011, when NASA retired the space shuttles.

Both men were selected to be astronauts in 2000 and have similar backgrounds as military test pilots. They have flown two other space shuttle missions, and Hurley flew on the last mission of the space shuttle in 2011. The SpaceX launch was their first mission together. They were selected to work with Boeing and SpaceX to pilot the commercial space capsule the company developed.

After the successful lift-off, the booster stage landed itself on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.