{"id":129565,"date":"2022-04-08T15:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T19:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-478718"},"modified":"2023-08-07T09:19:02","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T13:19:02","slug":"axiom-private-astronauts-headed-to-international-space-station","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/axiom-private-astronauts-headed-to-international-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"Axiom Private Astronauts Headed to International Space Station"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1757\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?w=1757\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft launches Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg 2186w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=257,300 257w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=768,895 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=879,1024 879w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=1318,1536 1318w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=1757,2048 1757w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=343,400 343w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=515,600 515w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=772,900 772w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=1030,1200 1030w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?resize=1716,2000 1716w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1757px) 100vw, 1757px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company\u2019s Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael L\u00f3pez-Alegr\u00eda of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. <\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">u003cstrongu003eCredits: NASA\/Joel Kowskyu003c\/strongu003e<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Axiom Space astronauts lifted off at 11:17 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 8, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft carrying Ax-1 crew members Michael L\u00f3pez-Alegr\u00eda, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe into orbit. The crew will spend more than a week conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities on the space station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat a historic launch! Thank you to the dedicated teams at NASA who have worked tirelessly to make this mission a reality,\u201d NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. \u201cNASA\u2019s partnership with industry through the commercial cargo and crew programs has led our nation to this new era in human spaceflight \u2014 one with limitless potential. Congratulations to Axiom, SpaceX, and the Axiom-1 crew for making this first private mission to the International Space Station a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beginning at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, NASA will provide live coverage of the Endeavour docking, hatch opening, and a ceremony to welcome the crew. The events will run on NASA Television, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/connect\/apps.html\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA app<\/a>, and the agency\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/nasalive\/\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Endeavour will autonomously dock to the space-facing port of the station\u2019s Harmony module around 7:45 a.m. The welcome ceremony is expected to start shortly after the Dragon hatch opens at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Live mission coverage will end with the conclusion of the ceremony. The mission also will be covered by Axiom on its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.axiomspace.com\/live\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI first want to congratulate Michael, Larry, Eytan, and Mark,\u201d said Michael Suffredini, president and CEO of Axiom Space. \u201cWe will usher in a new era in private human spaceflight when they cross the threshold to enter the International Space Station. This journey is the culmination of long hours of training, planning, and dedication from the crew and the entire Axiom Space team, our partners at SpaceX, and of course, a credit to NASA\u2019s vision to develop a sustainable presence in low-Earth orbit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once aboard the station, the Axiom crew will be welcomed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/expeditions\/expedition67\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Expedition 67<\/a> crew members, including NASA astronauts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/thomas-h-marshburn\/biography\" rel=\"noopener\">Thomas Marshburn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/raja-chari\/biography\" rel=\"noopener\">Raja Chari<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/barron-kayla\" rel=\"noopener\">Kayla Barron<\/a>, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration\/Astronauts\/Matthias_Maurer\" rel=\"noopener\">Matthias Maurer<\/a>, and Roscosmos cosmonauts <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gctc.ru\/main.php?id=158\" rel=\"noopener\">Oleg Artemyev<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gctc.ru\/main.php?id=1709\" rel=\"noopener\">Sergey Korsokov<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gctc.ru\/main.php?id=191\" rel=\"noopener\">Denis Matveev<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Axiom Space astronauts are expected to spend about 10 days in orbit before a return to Earth and splashdown at one of seven landing sites off the coast of Florida. NASA and Axiom will release separate advisories to preview the Ax-1 farewell event and return coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more about how NASA is supporting a space economy in low-Earth orbit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/leo-economy\"><strong>https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/leo-economy<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">-end-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joshua Finch\/Stephanie Schierholz<br>Headquarters, Washington<br>202-358-1100<br><a href=\"mailto:joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov\">joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ <a href=\"mailto:stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov\">stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gary Jordan<br>Johnson Space Center, Houston<br>281-483-5111<br><a href=\"mailto:gary.j.jordan@nasa.gov\">gary.j.jordan@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Joshua Finch\/Stephanie Schierholz<br \/>\nHeadquarters, Washington<br \/>\n202-358-1100<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov\">joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ <a href=\"mailto:stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov\">stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gary Jordan<br \/>\nJohnson Space Center, Houston<br \/>\n281-483-5111<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:gary.j.jordan@nasa.gov\">gary.j.jordan@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Axiom Space astronauts lifted off at 11:17 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 8, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":130665,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"22-033","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"RELEASE","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[]},"categories":[8373,2801,2656,2735,2861,12706,3220],"news-tags":[12374,9531],"internal-terms":[12745,12725,8611,9508,9504],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Axiom Private Astronauts Headed to International Space Station","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/axiom-private-astronauts-headed-to-international-space-station\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/axiom-private-astronauts-headed-to-international-space-station\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg"},"articleSection":"Missions","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA"}],"creator":["NASA"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Humans in Space","Commercial Space","Private Astronaut Missions","Expedition 67","International Space Station (ISS)","Johnson Space Center","Low Earth Orbit Economy"],"dateCreated":"2022-04-08T19:32:00Z","datePublished":"2022-04-08T19:32:00Z","dateModified":"2023-08-07T13:19:02Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Axiom Private Astronauts Headed to International Space Station\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/axiom-private-astronauts-headed-to-international-space-station\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2022-04-08T19:32:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Humans in Space,Commercial Space,Private Astronaut Missions,Expedition 67,International Space Station (ISS),Johnson Space Center,Low Earth Orbit Economy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":3,"featured_image":{"id":130665,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ax-1.jpg","title":"Axiom Mission 1 Launch","alt":"A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft launches Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.","caption":"A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael L\u00f3pez-Alegr\u00eda of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. L\u00f3pez-Alegr\u00eda, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission. Photo Credit: (NASA\/Joel Kowsky)"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/129565"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/129565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":483249,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/129565\/revisions\/483249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129565"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=129565"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=129565"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=129565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}