SpaceX Launches Axiom-1 Private Astronaut Mission to the ISS

The launch of Ax-1 captured by remote cameras | Credit: NASA HQ Photo

On Friday, April 8 at 11:17am, SpaceX launched the Axiom-1 tourist mission to the International Space Station aboard Crew Dragon Endeavor launching on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) in Florida. It will dock to the zenith port of the Harmony module the next day. Axiom-1 isthe first private astronaut mission to the ISS. The contractor for this mission is Axiom Space. The crew will stay aboard the ISS for approximately a week before undocking prior to splashdown off the coast of Florida. Though they are tourists, they will be doing science experiments for NASA and Axiom. These tourist missions will happen about twice a year, with the next one happening in September. In 2024, Axiom will start launching new space station modules to the ISS on Falcon Heavy rockets. These modules will eventually separate from the ISS and become its own space station.

The crew of Axiom-1 | Credit: Axiom Space

The crew is:

- Michael Lopez-Alegria (a former NASA astronaut), Commander - previous flights: Soyuz TMA-9/Expedition 14, STS-113

- Larry Connor, Pilot

- Mark Pathy

- Eytan Meir Stibbe

The first stage for this mission, B1062, which previously flew on GPS III-4, GPS III-5, Inspiration4, and Starlink 4-5, landed on the "A Shortfall of Gravitas" drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The Dragon for this mission, Endeavor (C206), previously flew on NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 and NASA's SpaceX Crew-2. This was the 38th orbital launch attempt of 2022, 156th SpaceX mission, and the 148th Falcon 9 launch.