SpaceX and NASA teamed up again this weekend to launch astronauts into space — and officials hope that this weekend's launch becomes a routine that's repeated often in the years to come.
Sunday's mission launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 7:27 p.m. EST. It was originally scheduled for Saturday evening, but pushed back because of onshore winds and recovery operations, according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
Earlier this year, two NASA astronauts launched into space aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The historic launch marked the first time that a private company in the U.S. had launched astronauts into space and marked the first launch with humans aboard from U.S. soil in about a decade.
But the May launch was still considered a trial run. According to CNN, that first trip was considered a "demonstration" mission and was flown by two former military test pilots.
Dubbed "Crew-1," Sunday's launch is how officials picture the future partnership of NASA and SpaceX to look in the years to come. Sunday's launch featured a larger crew with a more diverse skillset, and the group will remain onboard the International Space Station for a much longer period of time once they arrive.
The crew includes three NASA astronauts — Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker — and Soichi Noguchi, an astronaut from Japan's space agency, JAXA.