SpaceX may set record with double launch on Friday as forecast remains in favour

NASA and SpaceX launched four astronauts - a veteran spacewalker, two younger crewmates and a German materials scientist - into orbit.

The Endurance - as called by its crew - had been delayed multiple times since its scheduled departure on October 31.

Within 10 minutes of liftoff, the rocket's upper stage had delivered the crew capsule into orbit, according to launch commentators.

The rocket's reusable lower stage, having detached from the rest of the spacecraft, flew itself back to Earth.

This is the third "operational" space station crew sent to orbit aboard a Dragon capsule since NASA and SpaceX partnered up.

The trip includes two members of NASA's latest graduating class of astronauts - Raja Chari, 44, a U.S. Air Force combat jet and test pilot serving as mission commander, and mission specialist Kayla Barron, 34, a U.S. Navy submarine officer and nuclear engineer.

The pilot is veteran astronaut Tom Marshburn, 61, a medical doctor and former NASA flight surgeon. The final crew member is European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer, 51, of Germany, a materials science engineer.

Chari, Maurer and Barron all made their debut space journeys, becoming the 599th, 600th and 601st humans in space.

The last mission - Crew 2 - flew to the space station in April and just returned safely to Earth after a record 199 days in orbit.