The Ax-2 mission launches four private astronauts from Cape Canaveral
The Axiom Space Ax-2 mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday at 5:37 p.m. This is the second all-private crew mission for Axiom Space. According to Axiom Space Twitter, the Ax-2 crew is set to dock with the ISS at 9:24 a.m. Monday. “It’s building the nation’s capability, and really humanity’s need to have a broad range of capability in space. It’s part of the process of moving away from the International Space Station,” said Dale Ketchum of Space Florida. Related: Best places to see the historic Ox-2 rocket, four-person The crew will be led by mission commander and record-setting former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson.Three other crew members are paying for the 12-day mission: two Saudi astronauts, an experienced American Ax-2 pilot, including the kingdom’s first woman to fly into space. Responsible for 20 scientific experiments, such as stem cell research, how and why they multiply so fast in microgravity. Related: Brevard County businesses prepare for huge crowds to see Axiom Space Ax-2 mission “And then we can use this technology, maybe create these stem cells in space, and Microgravity can be used to differentiate. And then use stem cells in cell therapy here on Earth,” said Dr. Ryan Reeves of the ISS National Laboratory. And important science is waiting to go up. “Using this private spaceflight is another way we can get more. There are many more tests. Because what we’ve seen over time is that these things build on each other,” Reeves said. For Axiom, private spaceflight builds experience for their teams working with NASA and SpaceX, but it also leads to the building blocks of what will eventually become. First commercial space station. Below: Timeline of Ax-2 pre-launch preparation 7:04 am – SpaceX tweets that all systems and weather are favorable for launch. 9:37 am – Axiom Space crewwise. 1:07 pm – Dragon propulsion pressurization takes place. 1:10 pm – Crew arrives at Kennedy Space Center. 5pm – Propulsion confirmed. 5:37 PM – Launch from Kennedy Space Center. Top headlines: Tropical disturbance forms in Atlantic, marking first part of interest Season Florida couple says they overpaid using Duke Energy’s fixed billing plan Deputies say missing barber shop owner found dead inside submerged car in Kissimmee.
The Axiom Space Ax-2 mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday at 5:37 p.m.
This is the second all-private crew mission for Axiom Space.
As stated therein Axiom Space TwitterThe Ax-2 crew is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 9:24 a.m. Monday.
“It’s building the nation’s capability, and really humanity’s ability to have a broad range of capabilities in space. It’s part of the process of moving away from the International Space Station,” said Dale Ketchum of Space Florida.
Related: Best Places to Watch the Historic Ax-2 Launch
The four-person crew will be led by mission commander and accomplished former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. Three other crew members are also paying for the 12-day mission: two Saudi astronauts, including the kingdom’s first woman to fly into space, and the Ax-2 pilot, an experienced American aviator.
The team will also be responsible for 20 scientific experiments, such as stem cell research to study how and why they multiply so rapidly in microgravity.
Related: Brevard County businesses prepare for huge crowds to witness Axiom Space Ax-2 mission
“Then we can use this technology, create these stem cells in space, use microgravity to differentiate them. And then use the stem cells in cell therapy on Earth,” said Dr. Ryan Reeves of the ISS National Laboratory.
And important science is waiting to go up.
“Using this private spaceflight is another avenue through which we can get more and more experiments in because what we’ve seen over time is that these things build on each other,” Reeves said.
For Axiom, private space missions build experience for their teams working with NASA and SpaceX, but it also leads to the building blocks of what will eventually be the first commercial space station.
Below: Timeline of pre-launch preparation of Ax-2
- 7:04 am – All systems and weather are favorable for launching, SpaceX tweeted.
- 9:37 am – The Axiom Space crew woke up.
- 1:07 pm – Dragon propellant pressurization underway.
- 1:10 p.m – The crew arrived at the Kennedy Space Center.
- 5 pm – Propellant loading confirmed.
- 5:37 pm – The launch took off from the Kennedy Space Center.
Key headlines:
