Story at a glance
- Houston-based start-up Axiom Space is preparing to launch its four-person team on Friday.
- As part of the mission, the team would dock at the International Space Station and stay for eight days conducting research.
- Friday’s flight will be the first to the International Space Station with four private astronauts.
Axiom Space, the first all-private astronaut team, is preparing for its first space launch Friday.
If all goes according to plan, the Houston-based startup’s four-person team will launch into space on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Axiom announced this week.
The launch is tentatively scheduled for Friday at 11:17 a.m. EDT, with docking at the International Space Station scheduled to take place on Saturday at 7:30 a.m.
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Initially, Axiom had scheduled the launch for Wednesday but delayed the launch earlier this week to allow SpaceX more time to conduct pre-launch work, the company said in a statement
If successful, the 10-day Ax-1 mission will be the first ever flight to the International Space Station piloted by four private astronauts.
During the mission, the crew will spend eight days on the International Space Station conducting research, outreach and “commercial activities,” Axiom said in a statement. Ax-1 is the first of a number of missions the company plans to take on with the hopes of eventually constructing a private space station in low Earth orbit. The station, Axiom Station, would serve as an academic and commercial hub.
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