SpaceX rolls out Falcon 9 with Dragon capsule for NASA- Axiom Space's Ax-1 mission

SpaceX, on April 6, rolled out its Falcon 9 rocket mounted with the Dragon spacecraft onto the launchpad for the first-ever all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Named Axiom-1, the NASA-Axiom Space joint mission will lift off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on April 8. SpaceX’s Falcon 9, meanwhile, stands tall at the KSC looking to launch with four private astronauts for a 10-day-long mission. 

Axiom heads toward making history

Among the four crew members-  Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, Eytan Stibbe and Michael Lopez-Alegria, the first three are paying customers. Pathy and Stibbe will serve as mission specialists for the Ax-1 mission whereas Connor will be the pilot.  Lopez-Alegria on the other hand is a former NASA astronaut and current Axiom Vice President and he will serve as the mission commander. 

While this would be the first commercial visit of astronauts to the space station, it won’t be the first-ever private spaceflight. It was the Inspiration4 mission late last year, which was commanded by tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman in collaboration with SpaceX. However, it is worth noting that the four members of Inspiration4 only orbited the Earth for three days and the astronauts never visited the ISS. 

As for astronauts of the Ax-1 mission, they would stay aboard the ISS for eight days and are carrying exciting experiments that they would carry out. The crew is carrying a total of 25 science experiments with them which range from testing the human brain in outer space to ideas about making telescope lenses from fluids. The launch was previously scheduled for April 6 but it was delayed by two days due to NASA’s ongoing Space Launch System (SLS) rocket test for Artemis 1 at Ax-1’s launch location. 

When and where to watch the launch?

According to Axiom Space, Falcon 9 would lift off from the Kennedy Space Center on April 8 at 8:47 pm (IST). To catch the live broadcast, you can visit NASA’s official website, NASA TV, NASA app or its official YouTube channel. SpaceX and Axiom space would also air the launch live on their respective social media handles.