Picture perfect liftoff for Space-X rocket

Launch early step in historic mission - NBC's Jay Gray reports

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NBC News) - History was made Friday morning in Florida. A Space-X rocket carrying two NASA astronauts, and two international crew members make a picture-perfect lift off, then sped towards the International Space Station (ISS) for an historic mission.

"Two...one...ignition...and lift off. Godspeed to Endeavor Crew 2."

Tearing away from Pad 39-A, the fiery power of the Falcon-9 rocket was stunning as it cut through the morning darkness.

"Falcon 9 now traveling at 1500 miles per hour."

The orange glow lit a path to the ISS, and beyond.

"The best thing about spaceflight is, it's one of those things that make people excited about the future." said Elon Musk, Space-X founder and chief engineer.

The trip to the ISS is expected to take about 24-hours. When they dock, this international crew will get straight to work.

"Every single experiment, every single operation leads to the Artemis and Gateway program." said Akihiko Hoshide, a Crew 2 Mission Specialist.

Artemis is NASA's plan to return to the moon in the next three years. Eventually, it will establish a lunar base camp, and an orbiting lunar outpost that will be a "gateway" for deep space travel.

"It's a very very exciting time for human exploration right now." said NASA'S Kathy Lueders.

The astronauts will spend six-months aboard the ISS.