![]() ![]() ![]() The AX-2 crew is being led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, 63, now an Axiom employee. With this mission, Whitson also became the first woman to command a private spaceflight. The AX-2 mission is one in a lineup of missions that Axiom Space and NASA hope will continue to spur private sector participation in spaceflight - particularly in low-Earth orbit, where the space station lies. Saudi astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi (far left), former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, investor and pilot John Shoffner, and Saudi astronaut Ali AlQarni wave before being brought to the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft for launch from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft should dock with the orbiting laboratory at 9:24 a.m. The crew is expected to spend the next 16 hours aboard Crew Dragon as it free flies through Earth’s orbit, making careful maneuvers to align itself with the International Space Station. Weather officials ultimately gave the all-clear for launch, however, and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket roared to life, carrying the Crew Dragon capsule and its four passengers toward orbit. Florida is entering its summer wet season, making pristine conditions for rocket launches slightly more challenging to find. The crew boarded the SpaceX rocket Sunday afternoon as weather officials kept a close eye on thunderstorms. ![]() Called AX-2, the mission is making history as stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi becomes the first woman from Saudi Arabia to travel to space. Their journey, put together by the Houston-based company Axiom Space, marks the second all-private mission to the orbiting outpost. The crew is embarking on a weeklong stay aboard the International Space Station. A SpaceX rocket carrying a decorated former NASA astronaut and three paying customers took off from Florida Sunday afternoon. ![]()
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