Washington [US], November 17 (ANI): The private space launch giant SpaceX spacecraft carrying four astronauts soared into outer space Sunday, CNN reported.

Taking to Twitter, Space X said, "Falcon 9 launches Crew Dragon on its first operational flight with astronauts on board, beginning regular crew flights to the @space_station from the U.S."

Also Read | Huawei Sells off its Honor Budget Phone Line to Domestic Consortium to Keep the Brand Alive Amid ‘Tremendous’ Supply Chain Pressures.

According to the CNN report, NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi, an astronaut with Japan's space agency, are now in orbit, riding aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that is expected to dock with the ISS on Monday at 11 pm ET. The crew will be spending 27 hours in orbit as the spacecraft slowly manoeuvres toward its destination.

It further reported that the trip would have been shorter had the Crew Dragon been able to launch on Saturday, as NASA first planned because the ISS would have lined up in such away as to allow the spacecraft to reach the space station in about eight hours.

Also Read | Happy International Students' Day 2020 Images and HD Wallpapers: WhatsApp Stickers, GIFs, Facebook Messages and Quotes to Send All Students on This Observance.

However, the plan was foiled due to Hurricane Eta.

CNN said that this is a landmark mission for NASA and the company because it is the first fully operational crewed mission for SpaceX, following up a test mission in May that carried NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken, both test pilots, to the space station. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)