The SpaceX launch vehicle, consisting of a Falcon 9 rocket topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule called Endeavour, lifted off at 0534 GMT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center here.
About nine minutes after Thursday's launch, the rocket's upper stage delivered the Crew Dragon into preliminary orbit as it streaked through space at more than 20 times the speed of sound.
The reusable lower-stage Falcon booster, meanwhile, flew itself back to Earth and landed safely on a recovery vessel, dubbed "Just Read the Instructions," floating in the Atlantic.
Moments after the capsule reached orbit, a SpaceX mission control manager was heard jokingly radioing to the crew: "If you enjoyed your ride, please don't forget to give us five stars."
The crew's commander, NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, radioed back, "We'd like to thank you for the great ride to orbit today."
The trip to the International Space Station (ISS), a laboratory orbiting about 420 km above Earth, was expected to take nearly 25 hours, with rendezvous planned for about 0615 GMT on Friday.
The flight came 72 hours after an initial launch attempt was scrubbed in the final minutes of countdown early on Monday due to a blockage in the flow of engine-ignition fluid. NASA said the problem was fixed by replacing a clogged filter and purging the system.
