As the flight readiness review is passed on March 25, Axiom Space, a commercial aerospace company, is ready to send its 4 astronauts to space. SpaceX will be launching these astronauts on Wednesday this week. This Axiom Missions would be sending the crew of spaceflyers to ISS (International Space Station).
Ax-1 will launch from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where SpaceX launches its astronaut missions for NASA on Crew Dragon spacecraft. As is typical for crewed SpaceX missions, Ax-1 will launch to orbit with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, complete with a reusable first stage. Liftoff is set for 12:05 p.m. EDT (1605 GMT). The mission’s participants, aside from Ax-1 commander, retired NASA astronaut, and current Axiom vice president of business development Michael López-Alegría, paid for their seats. While it is a private mission, Ax-1 will feature roughly 100 hours of research on behalf of numerous organizations.
“We are opening a new era in human spaceflight,” López-Alegría said in a Twitter post on Friday (April 1). “We are taking the first step in a next-generation platform initiative that’s going to bring working, living, and research in space to a much broader and more international audience.” Axiom plans to launch a module that will be added to the space station in 2024, one step towards eventually making a commercial space station.
Eight days on the ISS
Here are the four people slated to fly on the 10-day Ax-1 mission, which includes eight days on the ISS- Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, Eytan Stibbe.
Michael López-Alegría, commander for Ax-1, is a former NASA astronaut of three space shuttle missions and the commander of ISS Expedition 14 on his fourth, during which he flew on a Russian Soyuz. As of this writing, López-Alegría holds the record for the most spacewalks performed, 10, and the most accumulated time in a spacesuit: 67 hours and 40 minutes. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2020 and serves on several aerospace advisory boards.
Larry Connor, pilot for Ax-1, has flown 16 different aircraft including fighter jets. Connor is also familiar with piloting helicopters and race car driving. He has won five aerobatic competitions and participated in several U.S. National Aerobatic Championships. He runs the real estate investment company The Connor Group, which focuses on luxury apartment communities. Connor’s previous ventures include founding The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners, which was made with the aim to address generational poverty.
Mark Pathy, the mission specialist for Ax-1, is the CEO and chair of the sustainable investment company MARVIK of Montreal, Canada. He is also chair of the board of Stingray Group Inc., a music, media, and technology company. Pathy is also on the board of the Pathy Family Foundation, among other charitable groups such as the Montreal Children’s Hospital, for whom he will do research in orbit.
Eytan Stibbe, the mission specialist for Ax-1, is the founding partner of the Vital Capital impact investment fund, among other ventures. He was previously a fighter pilot for the Israel Air Force (IAF) and a flight instructor at the Israel Air Force Flight Academy. Stibbe was close friends with fellow pilot and Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who died during the Columbia space shuttle accident of 2003. Stibbe and the Ramon family co-founded the Ramon Foundation; Stibbe will perform experiments for the foundation in orbit.
Credits- Space.com
