Up, up, and away! 

A SpaceX rocket carrying the first all-private astronaut crew blasted off at 11:17 am local time from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

The four-man team consisting of three wealthy businessmen and an astronaut escort, is heading to the International Space Station after being selected by Houston-based startup Axiom Space Inc. for its landmark debut spaceflight and orbital science mission. 

NASA joins Russia in hosting guests at the world’s most expensive tourist destination. It’s SpaceX’s first private charter flight to the orbiting lab.

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