Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have become the first NASA astronauts to enter the International Space Station from a commercially-made spacecraft.
But Boeing's program has floundered badly after a failed test run late last year, which left SpaceX, a company founded only in 2002, as clear frontrunner.
The launch comes as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, and as the US faces nationwide protests after a black man died in Minneapolis while being arrested white police officer. "This was just one effort that we can show for the ages in this dark time that we've had over the past several months to kind of inspire, especially the young people in the United States, to reach for these lofty goals," he said.
The lyrics juxtaposed the injustice and economic conditions faced by black Americans with the enormous spending required for the space program.SpaceX's two-stage Falcon 9 rocket began its voyage Saturday, blasting off flawlessly in a cloud of bright orange flames and smoke from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
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