At 5:28 a.m. on Thursday, a Falcon 9 rocket roared to life at Cape Canaveral Space Launch Site, sending SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission into orbit with a brilliant plume of fire and a thunderous sonic boom that rattled windows across the Space Coast. The launch, visible from nearby Cocoa and Melbourne Beach, marked the first crewed flight of NASA’s new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) prototype. SpaceX engineers confirmed the rocket’s first stage separated cleanly, with the crew capsule reaching orbit 12 minutes later. The mission, part of NASA’s partnership with SpaceX to develop next-generation crew transportation systems, carried four astronauts—two NASA astronauts, one European Space Agency researcher, and a Japanese space agency specialist—to the International Space Station. The crew is expected to conduct experiments on microgravity’s effects on bone density and plant growth during their six-month stay. Local residents described the launch as a “once-in-a-lifetime” event. Sarah Mitchell, a retired teacher from Titusville, said she woke to the sound of the rocket and rushed outside to watch. “It felt like the sky was on fire,” she said. The launch was the first from the Space Coast since SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission in October, reigniting interest in the area’s role as a hub for commercial spaceflight. The Falcon 9’s first stage, which landed successfully at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1, will be reused for a future mission. SpaceX has reused this particular booster three times before, a testament to the company’s efforts to reduce launch costs. The mission comes as NASA prepares to retire its last remaining shuttle-derived launch system by 2025, shifting full reliance to private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. The launch also drew attention from Brevard County officials, who highlighted the economic impact of the space industry. “Every successful mission reinforces why our county is the heart of America’s space program,” said County Commissioner Randy Cole. The Crew-12 mission is scheduled to return to Earth in early 2025.