SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission has successfully taken off, propelling the first all-civilian space crew into Earth's orbit.
Shortly after midday (NZ time), the four astronauts blasted away from the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida on their three-day mission with everything going to plan.
There was audible cheering from the ground crew as the main engine cut off, with the live video showing one of the astronauts cheering in their Dragon capsule.
Inspiration is carrying billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and three other spaceflight novices. Isaacman is officially the 'commander' of the mission, while geoscientist Sian Proctor is the 'pilot'. However neither Isaacman, Proctor or the others onboard - Hayley Arceneaux and Chris Sembroski - will play any part in operating the spacecraft.
Arceneaux is a physician assistant at St Jude Children's Research Hospital and a pediatric cancer survivor.
The livestream of the launch included a fundraiser for the hospital with over US$350,000 in donations just half an hour after launch.
Previously all four had looked relaxed, smiling for a picture ahead of launch, which eagle-eyed internet users noted contained the message 'Ad astra' (to the stars) in Morse Code.
The astronauts will perform medical experiments with "potential applications for human health on Earth and during future spaceflights" as they orbit the globe every 90 minutes at more than 27,400 km/h.
They will orbit at a height of around 575km, which is further from the Earth than the International Space Station.
SpaceX is run by Tesla founder Elon Musk who, unlike fellow billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, isn't going along for the space ride.
Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, run by Branson and Bezos respectively, both had their first tourist launches recently - but they were sub-orbital and crews were flying for only a matter of minutes.
