Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk’s SpaceX has said it is now targeting to launch its first all-private mission to the International Space Station on Friday, following a two-day delay.
What Happened: Axiom Space Inc’s Ax-1 launch will take place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 8, SpaceX said on Tuesday.
Falcon 9 and Dragon vertical at 39A; targeting Friday, April 8 for launch of Ax-1 → https://t.co/sIz9U6NRxT pic.twitter.com/NSJqo3FBb4
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 6, 2022
The Falcon 9’s first stage is expected to land on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, minutes after the liftoff.
After separation, the Dragon spacecraft will ferry all four civilian Ax-1 crew to the ISS for a 10-day mission which includes experiments related to self-assembling technology for satellites, future space habitats, cancer stem cell study, and air purification.
The crew includes Michael López-Alegría as commander; Larry Connor as the pilot and Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy as mission specialists.
See Also: Elon Musk Says SpaceX's Starship Orbital Likely In May Despite Pending Regulatory Approval
Why It Matters: This is the first mission to the ISS without any government-sponsored astronauts. SpaceX last year flew an all-civilian crew to Earth’s orbit on a three-day trip, without a stopover at the ISS.
Axiom, a privately funded space infrastructure developer based in Houston, Texas, eventually plans to own and operate the world's first commercial space station in 2024.
Musk, on the other hand, dreams of colonizing Mars and making life multi-planetary.
