SpaceX and Nasa have created history with the successful launch of the Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken took off on schedule at 8.22pm UK time on Saturday on their flight to the International Space Station, becoming the first US astronauts to launch into space from US soil for the first time in nine years.

It came after a previously scheduled take-off on Wednesday had to be aborted due to weather conditions.

You can watch the rest of the journey to the space station in the livestream from Nasa, below.

Elon Musk’s aerospace company teamed up with US federal body Nasa in the building of the spacecraft, which plans to send Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station.

The mission - dubbed Demo-2 - is designed to test the capabilities of SpaceX to safely ferry astronauts to and from the space station,.

It could earn the company certification from NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme, which will allow them to conduct longer-termed manned missions into space as part of a £2.1 billion contract with NASA.

Can I watch the launch?

As well as the Nasa stream above, which is being replicated on SpaceX's YouTube channel, British astronaut Tim Peake had said the rocket may be visible to Britons looking south-west at the time of takeoff.

The failed launch had been live-streamed on SpaceX's YouTube channel:

It is worth noting that Nasa has highly rigid condition requirements for manned missions, and inclement weather remains a possibility.

If so, Sunday has been marked as the next potential window of opportunity for liftoff.

What did it involve?

On Saturday the rocket - which is called Falcon 9 - took off from launchpad 39A at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

Their journey out of the Earth’s atmosphere took about 10 minutes, with the separation of the rocket happening after two.

At this separation, what is called the “first stage” of the rocket returned to Earth, where a SpaceX landing ship will be awaiting its landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

The rocket’s “second stage” their carried the crew onwards and upwards.

Once it entered orbit, the Dragon capsule split from the second stage.

Travelling at around 17,000mph, it should dock at the space station just under 20 hours after launch.

Who are the astronauts?

US astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley have both ventured into space before.

Mr Behnken, 49, has spent 29 days in space. A former engineer with the US Air Force, he will be the mission’s joint operations commander, whose responsibilities include the rendezvous, docking and un-docking of the Dragon capsule.

Mr Hurley was a fighter pilot in the US Marine Corps, and aboard the final flight of the space shuttle Atlantis in 2011. As spacecraft commander, he will be responsible for the launch, landing and recovery of the vehicle.

Watch out for their spacesuits: Hollywood costume designer Jose Fernandez had a hand in them.