SpaceX helped launch three wealthy businessmen and a retired astronaut into space on NASA’s first private flight to the International Space Station.
The quartet will arrive at the International Space Station early Saturday morning for a 10-day mission, a once-in-a-lifetime trip that cost each passenger $55 million per ticket.
“I first want to congratulate Michael, Larry, Eytan, and Mark. We will usher in a new era in private human spaceflight when they cross the threshold to enter the ISS,” said Michael Suffredini, president and CEO of Axiom Space, in a press release. “This journey is the culmination of long hours of training, planning, and dedication from the crew and the entire Axiom Space team, our partners at SpaceX, and of course, a credit to NASA’s vision to develop a sustainable presence in low-Earth orbit.”
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The flight, Axiom-1, will be NASA’s first foray into space tourism at the international orbiting outpost.
The four crew members were launched into orbit via SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket at 11:17 a.m. EDT and will travel to the ISS aboard the private space company’s Dragon Endeavor spacecraft.
The crew comprises Larry Connor of the Connor Group, Mark Pathy, founder of the Canadian Mavrik Corp, and Eytan Stibbe, a former Israeli fighter pilot and founding partner of Vital Capital. Former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria joined the trio on the trip.
Once aboard the ISS, the crew will perform an assortment of experiments, including those concerning research on brain health, cardiac stem cells, cancer, and aging.
Ax-1 crew are go for launch pic.twitter.com/FiyivQzEiL
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 8, 2022
The ISS has welcomed civilians and nonastronauts, with Russia hosting visitors over the last decade. Last fall, a Russian movie crew and a Japanese fashion tycoon flew to the ISS, according to the Associated Press.
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Axiom has a contract with SpaceX to conduct three more missions into space over the next two years, the company said.
U.S. astronaut Mark Vande Hei returned to Earth on March 30 after a record-breaking 355 days on the ISS. Vande Hei returned via a Russian spacecraft, a decision that draws a sharp contrast with the U.S. approach to Russia over the war in Ukraine.
