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Third crewed launch in a decade took off US soil with four tourists aboard

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The very first mission to Earth’s orbit took off Wednesday evening with four tourists – not astronauts – aboard.

After 8 in the evening (ET), spotlights flashed into the sky at the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The wetlands around have been covered with light as the nine engines of the SpaceX rockets have started and made their way to the top.

Running over 17, 000 miles per hour after reaching the orbital speeds, the capsule where the tourists were positioned has separated from the rocket and started moving towards its planned orbit.

Included in the passengers are a billionaire, a community college faculty member, a Lockheed Martin employee, and a cancer survivor. They

For three days, the crew will stay inside the capsule as it maneuvers in orbit before Saturday’s landing off the coast of Florida.

This means that for the next three days, the people inside the capsule, which will circle around the Earth once every 90 minutes, will float. Ending the mission is the spacecraft’s diving down for an aggressive entry back to Earth.

Saturday’s schedule for splashdown, however, is subject to change based on weather or any other concern that may arise. The food supplies inside the capsule will last for about seven days.

Wednesday’s launch marks the third crewed launch from the US in the past ten years, CNN reported.

Among the passengers are Jared Isaacman, 38, a billionaire who personally paid for the mission; Sian Procotor, 51, PhD holder and teaches in a community college; Hayley Arceneux, 29, a physician assistant who survived cancer as a child; and Chris Sembroski, 41, a space fan and works at Lockheed Martin.