The start of the first private mission to the International Space Station, originally scheduled for Sunday, has been delayed by a few days. The “Ax-1” mission should now begin next Wednesday from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida, it said Tuesday. A reason for the delay was not initially given.
The “Ax-1” mission is the first fully private crew. Former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría will bring the trio — comprising American entrepreneur Larry Connor, Israeli entrepreneur and pilot Eytan Stibbe and Canadian investor Mark Pathy — to the ISS. According to media reports, the men would have paid about 55 million dollars (about 50 million euros) each.
Organized by the private space company Axiom in conjunction with the US space agency NASA, the flight will take place in a “Crew Dragon” capsule belonging to Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. The four Axiom astronauts will stay on the ISS for about a week and conduct scientific experiments there.
“Like Kids in a Candy Store”
They are “ready to fly” and all feel “like kids in a candy store”, says López-Alegría – but at the same time emphasizes: “We are not space tourists. I think space tourism plays an important role, but that’s not what it’s about here.” This is certainly not a vacation for my crew members.”
Three astronauts landed in the Soyuz capsule
Meanwhile, a US astronaut and two cosmonauts returned to Earth from the ISS on Wednesday, aboard a Russian “Soyuz” space capsule, amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine. American Mark Vande Hei and cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov landed in Kazakhstan, according to live images (video above) from space agency NASA. The trio had disconnected from the ISS about four hours earlier.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
