Elon Musk's SpaceX successfully launched two NASA astronauts into orbit, Saturday, aboard the company's Falcon 9 rocket.

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"This is the culmination of a dream," Musk told CBS News. "This is a dream come true. In fact, it feels surreal. If you asked me when starting SpaceX if this would happen, I’d be like, one percent — 0.1 percent chance."

The 19-hour trip to the International Space Station is the first voyage to space launched in the United States since 2011. The crew left the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:23 PM, making them the first to ride a commercially owned spacecraft into orbit.

“This is everything America has to offer in its purest form," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. "And times are tough right now. There is no doubt. We’ve got the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve got other challenges as a country.

"But I hope this moment in time is an opportunity for everybody to reflect on humanity and what we can do when we work together, when we strive and when we achieve," he added.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were in attendance. "I think this is such a great inspiration for our country," Trump told reporters after the launch.

If the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent state of global quarantine have taught us anything, it’s that sometimes we must find joys in life’s little pleasure. Despite things seemingly going to hell in a handbasket on a ground level, lest we forget that the vast expanses of space above us have remained untouched by the eternal pain-in-the-ass that is COVID-19.

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As such, it has been a place of respite for stargazers and dreamers alike, especially considering that tonight is set to be the biggest supermoon of 2020 — provided Kodak Black doesn’t attempt to break that record. For those unaware, a supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit cycle brings it within “close” proximity to the Earth, relatively speaking. As such, the supermoon will appear to be both bigger and brighter than usual, making it an exciting visual for those of us interested in the greater mysteries of the universe.

Should you be interested in sneaking a peek at the supermoon, you can catch that by braving the great outdoors (while making sure to respect proper social distancing guidelines) at approximately 10:35 pm EST. Apparently, the supermoon will be at peak visibility until about midnight, so set your timers accordingly. Sometimes it bodes well to remember that there are bigger things than us out there in the world, and a little bit of perspective can sometimes be the best remedy. 

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