WASHINGTON — Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James released the following statement Saturday upon the successful launch of the American-manned SpaceX mission:

"Almost nine years after the last American-launched manned flight into space, it is a significant moment of the new Space Age to see an American rocket lift off from an American launch pad with an American crew aboard. America once again can ‘slip the surly bonds of Earth’ through its own efforts.

"This new age is dawning thanks to a ‘whole of America’ approach, with the Trump administration working to spark a space renaissance through its space policy directives and America’s private sector supplying the innovation, the creativity, and the spirit of exploration. It should be no surprise that American-inspired, free-market entrepreneurship now helps open the doors to the broader universe.

"This launch, and the ones to follow, are a reminder of where American astronauts have been, and they point to where we are heading: a long-term human presence on the Moon and in lunar orbit, and eventually to Mars.

"May we continue to press the bounds of the expanse beyond our planet, and cement America as the global leader in space exploration."