According to The China News Agency, at 11:17 local time on the 8th, the Falcon 9 rocket of the US Space Exploration Technology Corporation (SpaceX) was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending four ordinary civilian passengers to the International Space Station
At 11:17 a.m. local time, the Falcon 9 carrier rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Launch Site
Spaceflight is organized by the U.S. private space company Axiom Space. In addition to former NASA astronaut Michael LóPEZ Alegría, the four space visitors include Larry Connor, MarkPathy and Eytan Stibbe. The three wealthy businessmen had to pay $55 million (about 350 million yuan) for the trip. They will serve as commanders for this AX-1 mission. During his time in 1997, he flew three space missions and visited the International Space Station once. In the course of these missions, he performed 10 spacewalks, and the mission, called AX-1, will reportedly mark the first time in history that all tourists will be transported to the International Space Station, without any professional astronauts currently. According to the news released by NASA's official website at 5:30 a.m. on April 9, the agency will broadcast the docking of the spacecraft with the space station, the opening of the hatch and the welcome ceremony through various channels. The New York Times reported that the four-member full civilian staff is scheduled to stop at the International Space Station on the morning of April 9.
NASA said they would splash off the coast of Florida on April 19.
Unlike previous sightseeing space trips, this mission has definite scientific research
According to China Science Daily, the mission was launched by Axiom Space, a startup that provides manned space missions to SpaceX. Unlike previous private space sightseeing flights, the mission has clear scientific objectives, and crew members will work with astronauts on the International Space Station. He said the passengers would complete a range of programs, including scientific research and commercial activities on the space station. The astronauts on this space mission are American investors and private pilots. Two other passengers will serve as mission experts: Israeli investor and former fighter pilot Ethan Stiby and Canadian entrepreneur Mark Patti
"During the eight-day stay on the International Space Station, about 25 different experiments were conducted, including more than 100 hours of research." 109 At a press conference held on April 1, these experiments were the difference between flight and ordinary space travel
Screenshot source: Xinhua Net
During this time, the crew will conduct a series of health-related studies, make Earth observations, and test a prototype of a tile called Tesserae, which can be self-assembled into various shapes by magnetic force
For the first trip to the space station for all, many companies intend to develop space tourism
According to China News Agency, the mission is the first part of Axiom Space's larger campaign. The company is currently building its own space station, called the Axiom space station, and its first module will be in 2024
Axiom Space CEO Michael Safredini said at a news conference that it was designed to replace the ISS when it was eventually decommissioned and de-orbited"Today, some countries, individuals and companies are unable to access the ISS, mainly because the 15 countries that own and operate the ISS take full advantage of it." Safredini said the company plans to send commercial missions to the International Space Station twice a year until the Axiom space station is launched
"The overall idea of these missions is to provide individuals, countries and companies with other opportunities to use the ISS and ultimately do more in space." Safredini said that if these missions go well, perhaps people have a chance to see actor Tom Cruise (starring in the Mission Impossible series) filming the film in space.
On April 8, 2022, local time, the "Dragon" spacecraft of the Us Space Exploration Technology Company was launched from the Kennedy Space Center by the Falcon 9 rocket.
According to a previous report by China Youth Daily, Russia has also sent civilian passengers to the International Space Station, but this trip, code-named "AX-1", is the first trip to the space station for all. The ISS tour was organized by Houston's Axiom Space Company, which operates "space tourism." This is also the first time to participate in the cooperation of space tourism business.
The Associated Press reported that Axiom Space plans to make a second civilian trip to the International Space Station next year. Last year, companies such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin competed in space tourism. On July 11, Virgin Galactic's Unity spacecraft completed its first full-space test flight in New Mexico, accompanied by the company's founder, Branson. Nine days later, the U.S. Blue Source "New Shepard" aircraft, accompanied by Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos, completed its first manned spaceflight test flight in Texas. On September 15, the Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 rocket were successfully launched into space. The "space tour group" of four non-professional astronauts flew around Earth for three days.