Pictures: SpaceX Crew-11 launch from Kennedy Space Center

It took two days, but SpaceX was able to avoid a looming weather threat and knock out the Crew-11 launch from Kennedy Space Center on Friday.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A topped with the Crew Dragon Endeavour making its fleet-leading sixth trip to orbit, heading for the International Space Station. A Thursday attempt was scrubbed with just one minute, seven seconds on the countdown clock as a storm cell opened up over the pad. Similar conditions were brewing Friday, but SpaceX managed to squeeze out the launch before lightning storms moved into the area.

On board are Crew-11 commander and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman making her first trip to space, pilot and NASA astronaut Mike Fincke on his fourth trip, mission specialist and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui on his second trip and mission specialist and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov on his rookie flight to space.

The quartet will arrive to the space station early Saturday to replace the Crew-10 mission that has been docked since March. They will spend at least six months on board the station first as part of Expedition 73, but then part of Expedition 74 that begins this fall.

They will be on board the station when it celebrates 25 continuous years of human presence as Expedition 1 began in November 2000.