SpaceX launches Crew Dragon capsule to the space station in milestone test for NASA astronauts

Elon Musk's dream for human spaceflight took a stellar leap forward in the early hours of Saturday morning.

SpaceX launched its Crew Dragon capsule into space for the first time, in a key test flight to prove to NASA that astronauts will be safe on future flights. There were no crew on board.

Called Demo-1, the mission launched from NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida on top of a Falcon 9 rocket.

This was the first of two test flights for SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Crew program. Demo-2, the first crewed flight, is scheduled for July. According to NASA's schedule, SpaceX is set to become the first to launch American astronauts from U.S. soil since 2011.

While the capsule does not have any people inside for this mission, Crew Dragon is carrying about 400 pounds supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.

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