SpaceX

The SpaceX and Polaris Dawn teams checked a couple of important boxes before they are ready to launch the historic commercial mission.

A little less than a week after arriving at Florida’s Space Coast, the four astronauts stepped through all the activities they will experience on launch day, including suiting and and climbing aboard the Crew Dragon Resilience, which will be their home during the roughly five-day mission.

Following the activity known as a dry dress rehearsal, SpaceX cleared the pad at Launch Complex 39A in order to conduct a static fire test of its Falcon 9 rocket. The T-0 for ignition happened at 6:38 a.m. EDT (1038 UTC).

The engine firing lasted about 11 seconds in total. SpaceX engineers took the data gathered from the operation and will review it as they make their final prelaunch preparations.