Four Axiom Mission-2 Private Astronauts Enter Station
The four Axiom Mission-2 crew members join the seven-member Expedition 69 crew aboard the station and gather together for a crew greeting ceremony. Credit: NASA TV
Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi now are aboard the International Space Station following Dragon’s hatch opening at 11 a.m. EDT Monday, May 22.
Ax-2 docked to the orbital complex at 9:12 a.m. on the second mission with an entirely private crew to arrive at the orbiting laboratory.
The Axiom Space crew are joining Expedition 69 crew members aboard station, including NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Woody Hoburg, and Stephen Bowen, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Andrey Fedyaev, and Sergey Prokopyev.
Next up, the station crew members will take part in a welcome ceremony aboard the International Space Station.
Axiom Space astronauts are expected to depart the space station May 30, pending weather, for a return to Earth and splashdown at a landing site off the coast of Florida
Four spaceships are docked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour and Freedom crew ships and Roscosmos’ Soyuz MS-23 crew ship and Progress 83 resupply ship.
Axiom Mission 2 astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi arrived at the International Space Station at 9:12 a.m. EDT Monday, May 22, on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Live coverage continues on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website for hatch opening and the welcome ceremony.
Live coverage continue on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website for hatch opening and the welcome ceremony.
Axiom Mission-2 Approaching Station Live on NASA TV
From left, Mission Specialist Rayyanah Barnawi, Pilot John Shoffner, Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialist Ali Alqarni are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship. Credit: SpaceX
NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website are providing live coverage for the arrival of the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) to the International Space Station. Ax-2 astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi are scheduled to dock at approximately 9:10 a.m. Monday, May 22, to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
The NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX teams now are conducting integrated operations, which begins during the spacecraft’s approach to the International Space Station. NASA maintains mission responsibility during integrated operations, which continues during the crew’s stay aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting science, education, and commercial activities, and concludes once Dragon exits the area of the space station.
When the Axiom Space Mission 2 arrives to the International Space Station, it will be the second mission with an entirely private crew to visit the orbiting laboratory.
The welcome ceremony is expected to start about 11:45 a.m. after the Dragon’s hatch opens at about 11:13 a.m. Live mission coverage will end with the conclusion of the ceremony.
The second all private astronaut mission lifted off at 5:37 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 21, on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Four Private Astronauts Launch Toward Space Station
The SpaceX Dragon crew ship launches four Axiom Mission-2 astronauts to the space station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on May 21, 2023. Credit: SpaceX
Four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), the second all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Axiom Space astronauts lifted off at 5:37 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 21, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the company’s Dragon spacecraft carrying Ax-2 crew members Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi into orbit on a mission to conduct scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities on the space station.
“Congratulations to Axiom, SpaceX, and the Axiom Mission 2 crew on a successful launch! During their time aboard the International Space Station, the Ax-2 astronauts will carry out more than 20 scientific experiments, helping us better understand space radiation, weather in low-gravity conditions, and more,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “This mission is more proof of NASA’s commitment to help our industry partners develop the next generation of space technology and a support a growing commercial space economy.”
Beginning at 7:30 a.m. Monday, May 22, NASA will provide live coverage of SpaceX Dragon docking, hatch opening, and a ceremony to welcome the crew on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
The SpaceX Dragon will autonomously dock to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module around 9:16 a.m. Monday with hatch opening about 11:13 a.m. Live mission coverage will conclude following the welcome ceremony expected to start about 11:45 a.m. The mission also will be covered by Axiom Space on its website.
Once aboard the station, the Ax-2 crew will be welcomed by Expedition 69 crew members, including NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, and Woody Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Sergey Prokopyev and Andrey Fedyaev.
Axiom Space astronauts are expected to depart the space station May 30, pending weather, for a return to Earth and splashdown at a landing site off the coast of Florida.
Second Axiom Private Astronaut Mission Launching Live on NASA TV
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon crew ship atop blasts off on April 9, 2022, carrying the first private astronauts to the space station during Axiom Mission-1. Credit: SpaceX
NASA TV coverage is underway for the launch of Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) – the second all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Launch is targeting liftoff at 5:37 p.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The live launch broadcast is carried on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. The broadcast will end after orbital insertion approximately 15 minutes after launch.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will carry Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi to the orbital complex. The Ax-2 crew will dock about 9:16 a.m. Monday, May 22, to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
At 7 p.m., the agency’s website will air the Ax-2 Postlaunch Media Briefing (targeted about one hour following launch) with leadership from NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX providing an update on the launch and mission operations.
Participants include:
Joel Montalbano, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Matt Ondler, chief technology officer, Axiom Space
Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
NASA’s mission responsibility is for integrated operations, which begins during the spacecraft’s approach to the International Space Station, continues during the crew’s stay aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting science, education, and commercial activities, and concludes once Dragon exits the area of the space station.
