SpaceX To Launch Axiom'S Second All-Private Mission To ISS In May

Axiom Space‘s second all-private mission Ax-2 is targeted to launch on May 8 to the International Space Station (ISS).

What Happened: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will be used to launch the Ax-2 mission from Florida on May 8 at 10:43 pm ET, Axiom Space CEO Michael Suffredini said. Suffredini was at a virtual press conference to provide an overview of the privately funded mission with NASA, SpaceX and the Saudi Space Commission.

The four-member crew led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will be aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The other crew members are pilot John Shoffner and mission specialists Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

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The crew will be docked to the ISS for 10 days and conduct more than 20 research experiments during that time.

“Data collected in-flight will impact understanding of human physiology on Earth and on-orbit, as well as establish the utility of novel technologies that could be used for future human spaceflight pursuits and humankind on Earth,” the Houston-based company said on its website.

Last month, NASA announced it has signed a mission order with Axiom Space for the third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The mission is expected to launch in November 2023.

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