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right at it,” said Wiseman, the mission commander. US President Donald Trump praised “our brave astronauts,” calling the successful launch “quite something” at the top of his televised address on the war against Iran.

The astronauts are now in orbit around the Earth, where they will remain while performing various checks to ensure the reliability and safety of a spacecraft that has never carried humans before.

Scientist Sian Proctor ventured to Florida’s Space Coast to witness the moment along with the approximately 400,000 people local authorities said had gathered to watch.

“Everybody should be excited and be following the next 10 days, because this is a big step for humanity,” Proctor said.

Astronauts successfully completed “promixity operations” demonstrations, which tested how their Orion capsule can move relative to another spacecraft and included various maneuvers that mimic what would be needed to dock with a lunar lander.

“Great flying with you, Houston. Nice vehicle,” said pilot Glover.

Early on teams identified a number of kinks to work out, including “a controller issue with the toilet when they spun it up,” said Amit Kshatriya, Nasa’s associate administrator, during a post-launch briefing. “We’re just getting started,” he added.

Nasa head Jared Isaacman also noted a temporary communication problem with the spacecraft that had since been resolved. The astronauts were “safe, they’re secure, and they’re in great spirits,” he said.

Isaacman also emphasized the historic nature of the launch: “Nasa is back in the business of sending people to the Moon.”