It's launch day (take two)! Things to know for SpaceX Crew Dragon 'in-flight' abort test

UPDATE: Liftoff of Falcon 9 with Crew Dragon at 10:30 a.m. ET! The capsule successfully separated from the rocket and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean shortly after liftoff.

SpaceX has just one more major milestone to achieve before it can send astronauts to space from American soil, an accomplishment not seen since the space shuttle program's retirement in 2011. 

At 8 a.m. today, SpaceX will conduct an in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon capsule after a Falcon 9 rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A. Teams have six hours to launch.

These are the things to know about this high-profile mission:

• Teams are looking to liftoff no earlier than 8 a.m. The launch window remains open until noon.

• SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket will blast off from the historic pad 39A, where the Apollo and space shuttle launches took off from. 

• Weather is 90% "go" with the primary weather concern being "flight through precipitation," according to the 45th Space Wing. 

• There will be two anthropometric test devices (dummies) onboard Crew Dragon for this launch to test the conditions astronauts would feel when onboard. 

• Approximately 90 seconds after liftoff, Crew Dragon will initiate its abort sequence and separate from the rocket.

• Once the capsule has safely separated, it will release its parachutes and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean about 20 miles from the launch site, where teams will be waiting to recover it.

• The rocket, meanwhile, will break apart sometime after separation. 

• Spectators on the Space Coast should be able to see some, if not most, of the action depending on weather conditions.

• This is the last critical milestone SpaceX has to achieve before its Demonstration 2 mission, which will send NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station. That launch is expected to occur sometime this year. 

• Full coverage kicks off at 6:30 a.m. at floridatoday.com/space and will feature in-depth coverage, photos, charts and more. Ask the space team — Emre Kelly, Antonia Jaramillo and Rachael Joy — questions and strike up a conversation. We will also be hosting SpaceX's live webcast of the launch.

Contact Jaramillo at 321-242-3668 or antoniaj@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AntoniaJ_11.