Donald Trump has hailed the historic launch of the SpaceX rocket as a “beautiful” but “dangerous” moment.
After witnessing lift-off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the US president marvelled at the power of the Falcon 9 vessel, and the risks faced by its crew.
The moment of jubilation – which saw NASA astronauts blast off from US soil for the first time in almost a decade – came as violent protests continue to rock swathes of the country.
Unrest has engulfed several American cities over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in the hands of a white police officer.
Meanwhile, the US continues to report the world’s highest coronavirus death toll – with more than 105,000 lives lost so far to the disease.
But on Saturday, Mr Trump took a moment to revel in the triumph of the successful start of the landmark space mission.
Speaking to reporters following Saturday’s big event, the president said: “That was a beautiful sight to see and I hope you all enjoyed it.”
He added: “When you hear that sound and you hear all of that roar, you can imagine how dangerous it is.
“When you feel the shake — and we’re very far away — but when you feel the shake over here, it’s pretty amazing.
“Beautiful sight. A beautiful ship, too.”
SpaceX Falcon 9 launch - in pictures
The US leader had flown to Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, only to see the launch postponed at the last minute owing to bad weather.
Asked why he felt it was important to be in Florida for the launch, given the issues blighting the country, Mr Trump said the launch was a source of “great inspiration” to all.
He continued: “We suffered something that was terrible, it should have never happened.
"And that’s one of the reasons I wanted to be here today. I thought it was so important to be here today.
“And I think any one of you would say, that was an inspiration to see what we just saw.”
