Historic Polaris Dawn mission sends 4 into orbit for 1st private space walk

REPORTING INTO VARIES ON EMILY MCLEOD GETTING RESULTS. NEWS 6. >> EMILY, THANK YOU. AFTER 2 WEEKS WORTH OF DELAYS AND ONE LAST WEATHER DELAY THIS MORNING, A HISTORY-MAKING MISSION FINALLY LAUNCHED THE LAUNCH OF POLARIS. DAWN LIT UP A DARK CLOUDY SKY KENNEDY SPACE CENTER AT 05:23AM. >> AND NOW 4 PRIVATE ASTRONAUTS GOING FARTHER THAN ANYONE IN THE PAST 50 YEARS AND 2 OF THEM WILL COMPLETE. THE FIRST PRIVATE ASTRONAUT SPACEWALK WILL HAVE TEAM COVERAGE THAT LAUNCH COMING UP. BUT FIRST, A QUICK CHECK OF YOUR CURRENT WEATHER. CAN US. >> WE'VE HAD RAIN ON AND OFF SINCE THIS MORNING. >> YEAH, I MEAN, IN BETWEEN ABOUT 6 7 O'CLOCK, WE ACTUALLY HAD ONE PESKY TROPICAL DOWNPOUR THAT JUST SAT RIGHT OVER TITUSVILLE AND MERRITT ISLAND AND THE COASTLINE CONTINUES TO BECOME THE MAIN ZONE RIGHT NOW WHERE WE ARE SEEING SOME OF THAT RAIN RIGHT NOW. SOME SCATTERED THING TO 2 HEAVY THERE IN ORMOND BEACH THROUGH DAYTONA, NEW SMYRNA, SEEING A LITTLE POCKET, A LITTLE HEAVY DOWNPOUR RIGHT THERE, VERY ISOLATED IN NATURE. AND THEN LOOK AT THIS THE SAME ZONE THAT WAS DEVELOPING RAIN EARLIER THIS MORNING IS ONCE AGAIN SEEING A LOT OF IT. SO CERTAINLY RACKING UP QUITE A LOT OF RAIN, THOUGH, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. PRETTY MUCH ALL ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA. RAIN CHANCES RIGHT NOW, PRETTY LOW AT ONLY 30%, REALLY JUST FOCUSED ON THE COASTLINE THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON. RAIN CHANCES WILL BE GOING UP TO ABOUT A 70% BY 4, 5 O'CLOCK TEMPERATURES. IN THE MEANTIME, BECAUSE OF ALL THAT RAIN COOLED AIR, A LOT OF THAT CLOUD COVER AS YOU SAW THERE WITH OUR LAUNCH EARLY THIS MORNING. THAT CLOUD COVER IS REALLY GOING KIND OF STAY IN PLACE. KEEPING TEMPERATURES AT BAY WITH HIGHS TODAY, STAYING ONLY ONLY IN THE UPPER 80'S. WE'LL HAVE MORE DETAILS ON THE TIMING OF THE RAIN. AND OF COURSE, A LOOK AT THE TROPICS AND TROPICAL STORM FRANCINE COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. >> THANK YOU, CANDICE. WELL, IT TOOK MULTIPLE SETBACKS AND A LONG WAY, BUT THE PALAIS YEARS, DON ASTRONAUTS ARE NOW HEADED FARTHER INTO SPACE THAN ANYONE SINCE THE APOLLO MISSIONS WITH PLANS TO BREAK OTHER RECORDS ALONG THE WAY. NEWS SIX'S JAMES SPARVERO WAS THERE FOR THE LAUNCH AND BREAKS DOWN THE CREWS BOLD OBJECTIVES NOW WITHIN REACH. SO IT RAIN BEFORE THE LAUNCH AND IT STARTED RAINING AGAIN AFTER THE LAUNCH. >> SO IT REALLY FEELS LIKE SPACEX FOUND JUST THE RIGHT WINDOW FOR POLARIS. DAWN, FINALLY TAKE OFF AFTER 2 WEEKS OF WEATHER DELAYS. HERE'S WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE DURING THE FINAL COUNTDOWN AT 5.23 ♪ ♪ WE'LL THING OFF. AND THEIR CREW DRAGON CAPSULE ON BOARD. A SPACEX FALCON 9 COMMANDER, JARED ISAACMAN OF THE INSPIRATION. 4 MISSION 3 YEARS AGO. THE TECH BILLIONAIRE THIS TIME FLYING WITH SCOTT POTI AND AIR FORCE PILOT OF 20 YEARS AND TO SPACEX ENGINEERS MEN AND SARAH GILLIS WHO HAVE HELPED DEVELOP SPACEX'S DRAGON CAPSULE. THE CREW IS SEEKING TO REACHHE HIGHEST ORBIT SINCE THE GEMINI, 11 MISSION IN THE MID 60'S. IT WOULD BE THE FOR THIS ANYONE FLOWN FROM THE EARTH SINCE THE LAST APOLLO MISSION. THE CREW WILL THEN CONDUCT THE FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACEWALK IN NEW SPACEX SPACESUITS. THIS BOAT CREW ALSO HOPES TO RAISE MILLIONS MORE FOR SAINT JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL JUST LIKE JARED AND HIS CREW DID FOR INSPIRATION FOR. HERE IS THEIR WARM WELCOME TO SPACE FROM THE GROUND. ONCE THE CREW WAS FLYING ON THE ROUTE. >> BECAUSE THEIR SKILLS, YOUR BRAVERY AND YOUR TEAM WORK TO CARRY OUT THE MISSION THAT LIESHEAD. GOT THE PLAYERS THOUGHT CREW. THEY MAKE IT A COUPLE QUICKLY. >> APPRECIATE THE KIND WORDS WE WANT TO BE ON THIS JOURNEY WITH DOWN ALL 14,000 OF YOU BACK INTO THAT SPACE X EVERYONE ELSE. HEARINGS ON PRECEDING WE'RE GONNA GET TO WORK >> SPACE-X SAYS THE CREW WILL CONDUCT THE SPACEWALK ON THURSDAY. THE ENTIRE MISSION IS EXPECTED TO LAST 5 DAYS IN CAPE CANAVERAL. BREVARD COUNTY. I'M JAMES SPARVERO GETTING RESULTS. NEWS 6. >> THANK YOU, JAMES. AND A LAUNCH AS BIG AS THIS ONE DOESN'T COME WITHOUT PLENTY OF FANS. OF COURSE, SPECTATORS FROM ALL OVER EVEN ACROSS THE POND WHERE THERE THIS MORNING TO SEE THE FALCON 9 LIFTED OFF NEWS SIX'S EZZY CASTRO A FEW TO FEW OF THEM TO TALK ABOUT THOSE EXCITING MOMENTS. ♪ >> A SUCCESSFUL ROCKET LAUNCH FOR THE ANTICIPATED POLARIS, DAWN MISSION CREW. WE WERE THERE TO SEE THE SPECTACULAR VIEW FROM SPACE VIEW PARK IN TITUSVILLE RIGHT AT LIFTOFF AT 5.23 THIS MORNING. USUALLY THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM OR >> THE BEST SHOT. DAVID HURLEY ARRIVED TO THE PARK AT 01:00AM SINCE LIFTOFF WAS INITIALLY SCHEDULED FOR 03:38AM. BUT WAS DELAYED DUE TO WEATHER. BUT FOR HER IN LEE, HE WAS READY WITH HIS CAMERA AND WAS CROSSING HIS FINGERS FOR THE NEXT LAUNCH WINDOW IN. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS THAT YOU LOVE SO MUCH? WELL, IT'S THE FIRST COMMERCIAL WALKED IN THE SPACE AND ALL THE MEDICAL RESEARCH THEY'RE DOING ON THIS LAUNCH. AND IT'S JUST ANOTHER HISTORICAL MOMENT. DAVID AND KASEY WAS SHELF FLEW FROM THE UK A FEW DAYS AGO AND WHEN THEY HEARD THE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM SPACE-XTHEY KNEW EXACTLY WHERE TO GO TO WATCH IT. WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE JUST AMAZING. I MEAN, YOU COME TO SCRUB THE I TRIED TO DESCRIBE MY WORK COLLEAGUES, BUT >> JUST GOT TO BE HIT TO SEE IT. >> THE 2 SAY THEY ARE HOPING TO WITNESS ANOTHER HISTORICAL MOMENT. NEXT TIME THEY VISIT THE SPACE COAST. IT NEVER GETS OLD. HE'S BEEN EVERY TIME I A ROCKET IT IS A