KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., - SpaceX and Axiom Space successfully launched four private astronauts into orbit Thursday, marking the third commercial mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) on board SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft lifted off via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 4:49 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Kimberly Johnson reports for Flying. Continue reading original article.
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22 January 2024 - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the company's Dragon spacecraft carrying Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Walter Villadei, and Mission Specialists Marcus Wandt and Alper Gezeravci into orbit. The crew will spend about two weeks conducting microgravity research, educational outreach, and commercial activities aboard the space station.
"Congratulations to Axiom and SpaceX on a successful launch! Together with our commercial partners, NASA is supporting a growing commercial space economy and the future of space technology," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "During their time aboard the International Space Station, the Ax-3 astronauts will carry out more than 30 scientific experiments that will help advance research in low-Earth orbit. As the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to the space station, the Ax-3 crew is proof that the possibility of space unites us all."
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Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
