It’s launch day for four astronauts who will soon be on their way to the International Space Station. The otherwise routine flight will be closely watched because it kicks off a series of events culminating in NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore’s long-awaited trip back to Earth.

Tense, public squabbles between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and NASA have stirred the space industry, but behind the scenes, space science has continued business as (almost) normal.