SpaceX ready to launch astronauts into space

Cape Canaveral: Elon Musk is about to face his biggest test after almost two decades as a space entrepreneur: launching human beings into orbit.

If the weather holds and there are no technical issues, a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket will blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 4:33 p.m. on May 27. Two NASA astronauts -- Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley -- will be on board, with a docking at the International Space Station scheduled for 19 hours later.

The history of spaceflight is made up of moments etched into humanity's collective memory, including Yuri Gagarin's orbit of the Earth in 1961, Neil Armstrong's "one small step" onto the moon in 1969 and the loss of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986.

While SpaceX's upcoming launch may not end up ranking with those events, it will mark the first-ever ride to orbit on a privately owned vehicle -- and the first-time astronauts have flown from U.S. soil since the shuttle program ended in 2011.

"We haven't had two humans shoot up into space on a commercial spacecraft ever. That's an absolute first. It's an epic moment," said Luigi Peluso, an aerospace analyst with AlixPartners.

"Space is still a dangerous game, and when you launch with people on board it's a whole different level of intensity. And it's not just about getting them there safely -- it's also about bringing them back."

Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp in 2002 with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been a key partner and customer every step of the way for the Hawthorne, California-based company. A cargo-only version of SpaceX's Dragon capsule already makes regular runs to the space station.

In 2014, NASA awarded SpaceX and entrenched rival Boeing Co a combined $6.8 billion in contracts to revive America's ability to fly to the orbiting lab without buying seats on Russian Soyuz capsules. By crossing the finish line ahead of a company with Apollo-era roots, SpaceX will underscore its metamorphosis from upstart to power player.

For a nation scarred by the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus and slowly emerging from stay-home orders, the SpaceX launch will be a chance to look skyward.

While NASA has discouraged people from mobbing Cape Canaveral because of the coronavirus pandemic, the agency is planning hours of programming around the #LaunchAmerica event.

Vice President Mike Pence said he plans to attend the launch. President Donald Trump also plans to travel to Florida to watch, Bloomberg News reported Friday.

But the weather forecast -- clouds, rainstorms and isolated thunderstorms -- could delay the big event. If the May 27 launch is "scrubbed" for weather, the back-up date and time is Saturday, May 30, at 3:22 pm, Florida time.

Adding to the excitement is SpaceX's knack for milking big events, as it did when it sent a cherry-red Tesla Roadster to deep space with its largest rocket. The voyage will usher in a new era of commercial space flight.