New Delhi: The Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, took off on Friday, April 8.
A four-person crew blasted off into space aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, atop a Falcon 9 rocket, from the historic Launch Complex 39A in Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 11:17 am EDT (8:47 pm IST), as part of the mission.
# Ax1 crew has lifted off! Godspeed! Go # Ax1. https://t.co/wsmxyY0vNt
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) April 8, 2022
Ax-1 is the first crewed mission of Houston-based aerospace firm Axiom Space, and a major step towards building the next generation platform in low-Earth orbit.
The Ax-1 crew consists of former NASA astronaut and Axiom vice president Michael López-Alegría; American entrepreneur and non-profit activist investor Larry Connor; Canadian investor and philanthropist Mark Pathy; and Israeli impact investor and philanthropist Eytan Stibbe.
If all goes to plan, the Ax-1 crew will reach the space station on Saturday, April 9, at 7:30 am EDT (5:00 pm IST).
López-Alegría is mission commander, Connor is the mission pilot, while Pathy and Stibbe are the mission specialists of the 10-day mission.
Mission Commander Michael López-Alegría is the chief astronaut for Axiom Space, and has had a record setting career at NASA for 20 years, flying to space four times.
López-Alegría is set to create history as the first person to ever command both a civil and a commercial human spaceflight mission.
Meet The Ax-1 Crew
Mission Pilot Larry Connor is a real estate and technology entrepreneur and aerobatics aviator from Ohio.
Through Ax-1, Connor will become the first private pilot to reach the space station and the first human to reach the deepest ocean depths and other space within one year, Axiom Space said on its website. He will also be Israel’s second astronaut to reach space.
Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe, who is an impact investor and philanthropist, will travel to the space station under the “Rakia” banner and the maxim “There is no dream beyond reach” which magnificently captures the spirit of the mission.
Mission Specialist Mark Pathy, the chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of Montreal-based MAVRIK, a privately-owned sustainable investment and financing company, has been trained to become proficient in operating a suite of tools to support their crew members throughout the mission. He will become Canada’s second private astronaut and the 12th Canadian to go to space.
Mission Timeline
At 5:45 pm IST, the Ax-1 crew suited up and headed to the historic launch complex 39A, Axiom Space said in a mission update.
At around 6 pm IST, the Ax-1 crew walked down the crew access arm to the white room, before entering the spacecraft.
At around 6:18 pm IST, the Ax-1 crew was seated in the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Communications and suit leak checks were made, and the seats were rotated, before launch.
At 7:53 pm IST, SpaceX tweeted: “Ax-1 crew are go for launch”.
The crew access arm retracted from the Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 less than an hour before launch.
At T-35 minutes until liftoff, propellant loading of the Falcon 9 rocket began and Dragon’s escape system was armed.
About three minutes after liftoff, main engine cutoff and stage separation were confirmed.
The Ax-1 crew will stay aboard the US segment of the orbital laboratory for approximately eight days, Axiom Space said in a statement. The space travellers aim to distinguish themselves as much as possible from space tourists performing research activities and philanthropic projects on the space station.
The mission will feature nearly 100 hours of research on behalf of numerous organisations. The Ax-1 crew will conduct approximately 25 experiments focused on human research, life and physical sciences, technology demonstrations, and Earth observations which will expand microgravity research to new sectors.