Watch: SpaceX, NASA launches first operational astronaut mission to space

SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on November 15 on the first full-fledged taxi flight for NASA by a private company. The Falcon 9 thundered into the night from Kennedy Space Center with three Americans and one Japanese, the second crew to be launched by SpaceX. The Dragon capsule on top reached the orbit nine minutes later. It is due to reach the space station late on November 16 and remain there until spring. Due to Covid-19, SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk was forced to monitor the action from afar. The three-men, one-woman crew led by Hopkins, an Air Force colonel, named their capsule Resilience in a nod to Covid-19, racial injustice and contentious politics. Watch the full video for more.