First private mission reaches ISS
NASA has welcomed the three-way collaboration with Axiom and SpaceX as a critical step toward commercializing the region of space known as "Low Earth Orbit."
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The first private mission reaches ISS.
The first private expedition, led by the startup company Axiom Space, arrived at the International Space Station early Saturday.
NASA has welcomed the three-way collaboration with Axiom and SpaceX as a critical step toward commercializing the region of space known as "Low Earth Orbit," which will let the agency focus on more ambitious missions deeper into space.
After launching from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Friday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavor arrived at 12:29 GMT Saturday, and the crew entered the space station about two hours later.
Former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, a dual citizen of the United States and Spain, will lead the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) mission. He has flown to space four times in his 20-year career, most recently in 2007.
Read more: NASA having difficulty keeping ISS afloat without Russian support
The widely reported ticket price is $55 million, which includes eight days on the outpost before a final splashdown in the Atlantic.
While affluent private persons have previously visited the International Space Station, Ax-1 is the first mission with an all-private crew piloting a private spacecraft to the outpost.
Axiom, based in Houston, pays SpaceX for transportation, while NASA charges Axiom for the usage of the ISS.
Research on ISS
25 research projects will be conducted on the ISS, which orbits 250 miles (400 kilometers) above sea level, including an MIT technological demonstration of smart tiles that create a robotic swarm and self-assemble into space architecture.
Another experiment involves growing tiny tumors from cancer stem cells and then exploiting the accelerated aging environment of microgravity to uncover biomarkers for cancer diagnosis.
"Our guys aren't going up there and floating around for eight days taking pictures and looking out of the cupola," Derek Hassmann, operations director of Axiom Space, told reporters at a pre-launch briefing.
