Astronomy:Axiom Mission 2
_(cropped).jpg) A Falcon 9 launches Crew Dragon and the Ax-2 crew to the International Space Station | |
| Names | Ax-2 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Private spaceflight to the ISS |
| Operator | |
| Website | axiomspace |
| Mission duration | 9 days, 5 hours, 26 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Crew Dragon |
| Spacecraft type | Crew Dragon |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 4 |
| Members |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 21, 2023, 21:37:09 UTC (5:37:09 pm EDT)[1] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 B1080-1 |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC‑39A |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| End of mission | |
| Recovered by | missing name |
| Landing date | May 31, 2023, 03:04 UTC |
| Landing site | Gulf of Mexico |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Docking with ISS | |
| Docking port | Harmony zenith |
| Docking date | May 22, 2023, 13:12 UTC |
| Undocking date | May 30, 2023, 15:05 UTC |
| Time docked | 8 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes[2] |
 Axiom Mission 2 patch  From left: Whitson, Shoffner, AlQarni and Barnawi | |
Axiom Mission 2 (or Ax-2) was a private crewed spaceflight operated by Axiom Space. Ax-2 was launched on May 21, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon 9, successfully docking with the International Space Station (ISS) on May 22.[3][2] After eight days docked to the ISS, the Dragon crew capsule Freedom undocked and returned to Earth twelve hours later.[4]
Ax-2 was the second Axiom mission after Axiom Mission 1 in April 2022 and the third private crewed SpaceX Dragon mission.
Crew
The crew was commanded by Axiom employee Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut.[5] John Shoffner, a space tourist, served as the pilot.[6] The Saudi Space Agency purchased the other two seats on the flight and named astronauts Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi to be the Mission Specialists.[7]
Axiom had initially announced in April 2021 that one crew member for the second Axiom spaceflight to the ISS would be selected via Who Wants to Be an Astronaut?, a reality television series to be produced by Discovery Channel.[8][9] On January 11, 2022, Axiom announced Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei as the company's first international professional astronaut.[10] Col. Villadei was subsequently announced by Axiom as a backup crew member for Ax-2.[11] He would later go on to serve as the pilot on Ax-3.
On September 22, 2022, Axiom Space announced it would partner with the Saudi Space Agency to send two Saudi astronauts on Ax-2 to research cancer, cloud seeding, and microgravity in space.[12] This mission included the first female Saudi astronaut to go to space.[13]
| Position[7] | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Peggy Whitson, Axiom Space Fourth spaceflight | |
| Pilot | John Shoffner First spaceflight Space tourist | |
| Mission specialist | Ali AlQarni, SSA First spaceflight | |
| Mission specialist | Rayyanah Barnawi, SSA First spaceflight | |
| Position[14] | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space | |
| Pilot | Walter Villadei, AM | |
| Mission specialist | Ali AlGhamdi, SSA | |
| Mission specialist | Mariam Fardous, SSA | |
Mission
Axiom 2 lifted off on May 21, 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, onboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. For the first time on a crew mission, the first stage of Falcon 9 landed on land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Landing Zone 1 instead of the more common at-sea recovery typical of crew flights. The mission, which was the second flight of Crew Dragon Freedom, docked with the International Space Station a day later.
During the mission, the crew performed public outreach activities along with scientific research, including studies into the effects of microgravity on stem cells and other biological experiments.[15]
After eight days docked to the ISS, Axiom 2 undocked and returned to Earth twelve hours later. Freedom splashed down successfully in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida. It was recovered by SpaceX's recovery ship Megan.[4]
Gallery
-
Axiom-2 docked to the ISS -
Axiom-2 crew (front row) aboard the ISS -
Axiom-2 departing the ISS
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Baylor, Michael. "Falcon 9 Block 5 - Axiom Mission 2 (AX-2)". Next Spaceflight. https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6789.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "NASA Selects Second Private Astronaut Mission to Space Station". NASA. December 13, 2021. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-second-private-astronaut-mission-to-space-station.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ "SpaceX Dragon capsule docks at space station with private Ax-2 astronaut crew (Video)". May 22, 2023. https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-ax-2-space-station-docking.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gorman, Steve (May 31, 2023). "Private astronaut crew, including first Arab woman in orbit, returns from space station" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/private-astronaut-crew-including-first-arab-woman-orbit-heads-splashdown-2023-05-30/.
- ↑ Harwood, William (May 25, 2021). "Whitson to command planned commercial flight to space station". Spaceflight Now. https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/05/25/whitson-to-command-planned-commercial-flight-to-space-station/.
- ↑ "Record-holding astronaut Peggy Whitson and mission pilot John Shoffner to lead Axiom Space's Ax-2 mission to enable new research in space". Axiom Space. May 25, 2021. https://www.axiomspace.com/press-release/ax2.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Heidler, Scott. "Ax-2 mission set to launch four private astronauts from Cape Canaveral". WESH2. https://www.wesh.com/article/axiom-space-ax-2-launch/43951134.
- ↑ Etherington, Darrell (April 18, 2021). "Discovery's new reality show 'Who Wants to Be an Astronaut?' will pick one winner to go to space". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/18/discoverys-new-reality-show-who-wants-to-be-an-astronaut-will-pick-one-winner-to-go-to-space/.
- ↑ De La Cruz, Lia (May 20, 2021). "Now casting nationwide: Discovery Channel's Who Wants to Be an Astronaut". EarthSky. https://earthsky.org/space/discovery-channel-who-wants-to-be-an-astronaut/.
- ↑ "Axiom Space to train Italian Air Force's Col. Walter Villadei as professional astronaut for future space mission". Axiom Space. January 11, 2022. https://www.axiomspace.com/news/italian-air-force-colonel-first-axiom-professional-astronaut-begins-training.
- ↑ "Axiom Space and Italian Government Sign Historic MOU to Expand Commercial Utilization of Space". Axiom Space. May 25, 2022. https://www.axiomspace.com/news/axiom-space-and-italian-government-sign-historic-mou-to-expand-commercial-utilization-of-space.
- ↑ Bell, Jennifer (March 23, 2023). "Saudi astronauts to research cancer, cloud seeding, microgravity in space" (in en). https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2023/03/23/Saudi-astronauts-to-research-cancer-cloud-seeding-microgravity-in-space.
- ↑ "Axiom Space Partners with Saudi Space Commission to Send First Female Saudi Astronaut to Space" (in en-US). September 22, 2022. https://www.axiomspace.com/news/ssc-partnership.
- ↑ Obeid, Ghinwa (April 17, 2023). "Alarabiya News". https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2023/04/17/Saudi-Crown-Prince-meets-with-Kingdom-s-Axiom-Mission-2-crew-ahead-of-launch.
- ↑ Lewis, Russell; Archie, Ayana (May 31, 2023). "SpaceX mission returns from space station with ex-NASA astronaut, 3 paying customers". https://www.npr.org/2023/05/31/1179002653/space-x-axiom-space-mission.
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