Live coverage: Soyuz crew capsule departs station, lands in Kazakhstan

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket climbed into space Sunday with NASA’s Parker Solar Probe on a daring mission to explore the atmosphere of the sun. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral occurred at 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT).

The International Space Station is likely to continue operating for another decade, but without more government support, a privately-owned outpost may not be ready in time to replace it, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said.

Check out photos of Wednesday’s middle-of-the-night launch of a three-man crew from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, kicking off a six-hour journey from Kazakhstan to the International Space Station.