The second all-private space mission launched on Sunday.
Falcon 9, equipped with the completely autonomous Dragon capsule where the crew will sit, was able to land its booster back on Cape Canaveral’s Space Force Station Landing Zone 1, a first for human spaceflight. From there, it will join the International Space Station in the first private mission in low orbit.
ZELENSKY DISPUTES RUSSIAN CLAIM IT HAS CAPTURED BAKHMUT: ‘THERE’S NOTHING’
Crew members include Saudi astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi, commander Peggy Whitson, pilot John Shoffner, and Saudi astronaut Ali al Qarni. Barnawi will be the first Saudi female to travel to space.
Whitson, as the U.S. record-holder for the most accumulated time in space at 665 days, will be the first female commander of a private mission.
Dragon has separated from Falcon 9’s second stage pic.twitter.com/VXIehFoiPN
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 21, 2023
Later on in the mission, the crew is expected to talk live to give a report.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
This mission was planned by Houston-based Axiom Space in collaboration with SpaceX. The company did not reveal the price for the latest tickets. However, it previously charged $55 million per seat.
Nearly a month prior to this successful mission, SpaceX’s Starship, the largest rocket ever launched, exploded four minutes after takeoff.
