There was an 90% chance that weather conditions would be favorable for launch Friday, according to the U.S. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft stand vertical on pad 39A in preparation for launch on the Ax-1 mission. The Ax-1 mission will last at least 10 days, with at least eight days on the space station, where López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, and Stibbe will perform experiments, participate in educational and public relations outreach activities, and enjoy their time in orbit. The crew trained for the mission in Houston and at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Pathy is an investor and philanthropist from Canada, and Stibbe is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and a former F-16 fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. López-Alegría is an Axiom employee, and his three crewmates are paying their way to the space station as Axiom customers.Ĭonnor, head of a real estate investment firm and an experienced private pilot, is co-pilot of the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Credit: SpaceXĪxiom’s first mission, named Ax-1, is an all-private affair. Mark Pathy, Larry Connor, Mike Lopez-Alegria, and Eytan Stibbe at launch pad 39A during a dress rehearsal for launch of Axiom’s Ax-1 mission. Previous visits by private astronauts, or “space tourists,” to the space station occurred on government-led missions on Russian Soyuz spaceships. The arrangement is the first of its kind. Axiom also has an agreement with NASA, which is providing accommodations for the four-man crew at the station. The mission is managed by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company which contracted with SpaceX for the Falcon 9 launch and the Crew Dragon flight to the space station. He was joined for the launch into space by pilot Larry Connor and mission specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy. Michael López-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut, commands the four-man crew. Liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida occurred at 11:17 a.m. Four private citizens rode into orbit Friday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, taking aim on the International Space Station on the first all-commercial mission to visit the research complex.

Falcon 9 launch today