LAUNCH SITE: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida PAYLOAD: Crew Dragon Endeavour on the Ax-1 mission Read our mission preview story for details on the Ax-1 launch. The reusable booster, designated B1062, flew on its fifth mission. The rocket’s first stage landed on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” parked in the Atlantic Ocean about 340 miles (545 kilometers) downrange from the launch pad. There was a moderate risk that upper level winds could exceed the Falcon 9’s safety criteria, and a moderate risk of unfavorable downrange weather for landing of the Falcon 9’s first stage or a splashdown of the Dragon capsule in the Atlantic Ocean in the event of an in-flight emergency.īut the weather conditions were “green” for launch Friday. The Falcon 9 rocket headed northeast after liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center to line up with the space station’s ground track. There was an 90% chance that weather conditions would be favorable for launch Friday, according to the U.S. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft stand vertical on pad 39A in preparation for launch on the Ax-1 mission. The Ax-1 mission will last at least 10 days, with at least eight days on the space station, where López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, and Stibbe will perform experiments, participate in educational and public relations outreach activities, and enjoy their time in orbit. The crew trained for the mission in Houston and at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Pathy is an investor and philanthropist from Canada, and Stibbe is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and a former F-16 fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. López-Alegría is an Axiom employee, and his three crewmates are paying their way to the space station as Axiom customers.Ĭonnor, head of a real estate investment firm and an experienced private pilot, is co-pilot of the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Credit: SpaceXĪxiom’s first mission, named Ax-1, is an all-private affair. Mark Pathy, Larry Connor, Mike Lopez-Alegria, and Eytan Stibbe at launch pad 39A during a dress rehearsal for launch of Axiom’s Ax-1 mission. Previous visits by private astronauts, or “space tourists,” to the space station occurred on government-led missions on Russian Soyuz spaceships. The arrangement is the first of its kind. Axiom also has an agreement with NASA, which is providing accommodations for the four-man crew at the station. The mission is managed by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company which contracted with SpaceX for the Falcon 9 launch and the Crew Dragon flight to the space station. He was joined for the launch into space by pilot Larry Connor and mission specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy. Michael López-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut, commands the four-man crew. Liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida occurred at 11:17 a.m.

Four private citizens rode into orbit Friday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, taking aim on the International Space Station on the first all-commercial mission to visit the research complex.

Falcon launch