Nasa is set to send two astronauts to the International Space Station this afternoon, in a historic mission that marks the first crewed launch from US soil in almost a decade.

In a spaceship built by Elon Musk's California-based company SpaceX, astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Centre at 9.33pm UK time.

The "Crew Dragon" capsule carrying the two men will be launched into orbit by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, arriving at the space station after 19 hours.

The mission is also the first crewed launch for SpaceX, and for Nasa's Commercial Crew Programme, which partners with private companies to send astronauts to the ISS.

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After standing down from launch on Wednesday, May 27, SpaceX is now targeting Saturday, May 30 for Falcon 9’s launch of Crew Dragon’s second demonstration (Demo-2) mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This test flight with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board the Dragon spacecraft will return human spaceflight to the United States.

The instantaneous launch window opens at 3:22 p.m. EDT, or 19:22 UTC, with a backup instantaneous launch opportunity available on Sunday, May 31 at 3:00 p.m. EDT, or 19:00 UTC. Tune in here to watch the launch webcast. Coverage will begin about 4 hours before liftoff.

Demo-2 is the final major test for SpaceX’s human spaceflight system to be certified by NASA for operational crew missions to and from the International Space Station. SpaceX is returning human spaceflight to the United States with one of the safest, most advanced systems ever built, and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is a turning point for America’s future…