Axiom Space's Ax-2: What to know about the 2nd private astronaut mission to the space station

Members of Axiom SpaceX's Ax-2 mission to the International Space Station, from left to right: Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi.

Houston-based company Axiom Space is gearing up for its second astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), known as Ax-2.

If all goes according to plan, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch an international crew of four from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday afternoon (May 21), kicking off the roughly 10-day Ax-2 flight.