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SpaceX rocket launch visible in sky over Ohio

Did you see it? After a series of delays, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carrying the civilian astronauts in a Crew Dragon capsule launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 5:23 a.m. Tuesday. The launch was scheduled for 3:38 a.m. but was delayed due to adverse weather at the launch site. Polaris Dawn's original launch was scheduled for Aug. 26 but was postponed multiple times. Due to a helium leak and adverse recovery weather, the flight was put on hold indefinitely until SpaceX announced it would attempt a launch again on Sept. 10. The launch was seen across the country, including parts of Ohio. Onlookers sent in photos and videos of sightings in Mason and Lebanon. The crew is moving into an orbit more than three times higher than that of the International Space Station, the highest humanity has achieved since the last Apollo moon mission in 1972. This is the first Polaris mission in a series of three flights, the last of which will be aboard Starship, SpaceX's largest rocket still under development. The crew – which includes mission pilot Scott Poteet, mission specialist Sarah Gillis and mission specialist and medical officer Anna Menon – is scheduled to conduct 36 studies of human health during long-duration spaceflights and test the new spacesuits developed by SpaceX.

MASON, Ohio —

Did you see it?

After a series of delays, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carrying civilian astronauts in a Crew Dragon capsule launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 5:23 a.m. on Tuesday.

The launch was scheduled for 03:38 am, but was postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions at the launch site.

Polaris Dawn's original launch was scheduled for August 26, but was postponed several times. Due to a helium leak and adverse recovery weather, the flight was put on hold indefinitely until SpaceX announced they would attempt a launch again on September 10.

The launch was seen across the country, including parts of Ohio.

Viewers sent photos and videos of sightings in Mason and Lebanon.

The crew will travel to an orbit more than three times higher than that of the International Space Station, the highest altitude humanity has reached since the last Apollo moon mission in 1972.

This is the first Polaris mission in a series of three flights, the last of which will be aboard Starship, SpaceX's largest rocket still under development.

The crew – which includes mission pilot Scott Poteet, mission specialist Sarah Gillis and mission specialist and medical officer Anna Menon – is scheduled to conduct 36 studies on human health during long-duration spaceflights and test the new spacesuits developed by SpaceX.

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