KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — As the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, NASA and Space X are prepping for the most historic launch in nearly a decade.

Two NASA astronauts are gearing up to launch from the Space Coast on a mission to the International Space Station.

It's the first crewed flight from American soil since the shuttle retired in 2011, set for May 27, 2020.

NASA, along with SpaceX, will send two astronauts on a mission to space as part of the Commercial Crew Program.

Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will board a Space X Crew Dragon, perched atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

It's the Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station, a final flight test for SpaceX to prove the commercial company is ready to routinely flight astronauts to orbit.

It's also the first time the crew will test the spacecrafts's systems in space.

The historic launch is coming at a time when the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic.

The flight team hopes the world is watching.

"This is going to be on May 27, like getting the World Series, the Stanley Cup, the Super Bowl all rolled into one when the Falcon 9 lifts off the coast of Florida," said Zeb Scoville, NASA Demo-2 flight director.

"I'm so proud of the team, they are working long hours, even under the COVID-19 precautions," says NASA Commercial Crew deputy program manager Steve Stich.

Stich says the launch team has been practicing for the mission, but protocols are in place for members to be six feet apart in the control center.

The room is being consistently sanitized for safety.

And as for the astronauts, the team has minimized contact with them for weeks, with the goal of protecting their health, along with the crew they are about to join on the International Space Station.

"They will be quarantined at the Kennedy Space Center just like we did for shuttle and other missions," he said.

"It's a sacred honor to bring the crew to the space station safely, and bring them back home to their families," said Benji Reed, SpaceX director of crew mission management.

The Falcon 9 launch is set for May 27 at 4:32 p.m.

It will take the Dragon capsule 24 hours to get to the ISS and dock.

After a several month mission, the astronauts will return to Earth with an Atlantic Ocean splashdown.