Spectators watch SpaceX Axiom-1 crew launch

The Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) Crew, the first private charter flight to the International Space Station, launched to the International Space Station Friday.

Spectators at Space View Park in Titusville, directly across from the launch pad, cheered as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thundered into the sky from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The crew will travel to the space station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The Ax-1 crew members are Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mission Specialist Mark Pathy of Canada.

During the 10-day mission, the crew will spend eight days on the International Space Station, conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities.