SpaceX just successfully launched their Crew Dragon capsule for the first time

At exactly 9:00 am ET, SpaceX successfully launched their Dragon 2 - or Crew Dragon - spacecraft out of Cap Canaveral in Florida.

The entire test lasted for about 90 seconds. The capsule fired its eight SuperDraco engines for approximately six seconds, boosting the spacecraft about a mile above the surface where it then fell back to earth on a pair of three large parachutes.

SpaceX's Dragon 2 vehicle is designed to ferry astronauts into space by as early as 2017, but Wednesday's test was un-manned.

The purpose of the launch was to test the spacecraft's SuperDraco engines are to, in the unfortunate event that a rocket would malfunction during launch, boost the spacecraft and its future crew members away from the rocket to safety.

Here's a shot of the spacecraft as it lifted off the launch pad Wednesday morning:

And less than two minutes later, the capsule was floating offshore in the Atlantic after safely touching down:

The event marks the first flight of the Dragon 2 capsule, but not the last for 2015.

SpaceX has scheduled a second test flight for a yet-to-be-announced date later this year. The second test will be much harder because the spacecraft will have to successfully separate from a Falcon 9 rocket while in mid-flight. (Wednesday's test will not involve the launch of a Falcon 9.)

Here's a diagram showing step-by-step what happeend during Wednesday's test:

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