SpaceX Sends Four People on Private Mission to International Space Station

byadmin •January 20, 2024

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The inaugural all-European commercial crew is en route to the International Space Station (I.S.S.) following a recent evening launch by SpaceX from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

In contrast to typical NASA missions, this venture is financed by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company embarking on its third expedition with paying passengers to the I.S.S. They've partnered with SpaceX for transportation to and from the orbital laboratory, with a long-term goal of constructing their own space station. The insights gained from these missions contribute to Axiom's planning and design efforts.

A previous attempt to launch on Wednesday was canceled hours before the scheduled flight, citing the need for additional time to conduct pre-launch checkouts and analyze data, including the parachute system energy modulator. SpaceX later confirmed that all systems were in good shape for the subsequent day's launch, without providing further details.

The crew capsule will spend the next 36 hours racing to catch up to the I.S.S., which orbits approximately 250 miles above Earth. Upon docking, the crew, part of the Ax-3 mission, will spend two weeks on the orbital laboratory conducting around 30 experiments, encompassing microgravity research, technology demonstrations, and outreach engagements.

Named "Freedom," the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for this mission has previously undertaken two spaceflights and visited the I.S.S. on each occasion (Crew-4 in 2022 and Ax-2 in 2023). With a total of 179 days in space, Freedom is making its third journey.

Leading the Ax-3 crew is Michael López-Alegría, Axiom's chief astronaut, a dual U.S.-Spanish citizen, and former NASA astronaut and I.S.S. commander. He will serve as the Ax-3 commander, accompanied by three paying passengers: Pilot Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force, and mission specialists Alper Gezeravcı of Turkey and Marcus Wandt of Sweden, representing the European Space Agency.

For Gezeravcı, the first Turkish astronaut in space, this flight is not merely a destination but the commencement of a journey. He expressed, "This is just the beginning of our journey - for a long growing space journey in our future."

The Ax-3 crew will join the seven other individuals currently aboard the I.S.S.

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