On Thursday, a new commercial space mission was set for launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This mission, organized by Axiom Space, will take a Turkish fighter pilot and three other astronauts representing Europe to the International Space Station. The crew is set to launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
Axiom Space, a Texas-based startup, has organized several such missions over the past two years. The company charges at least $55 million for each astronaut seat, with plans to put astronauts sponsored by foreign governments and private enterprise into Earth orbit.
The company encountered a brief delay in the launch due to the need for more time for final inspections and data analysis, including an issue related to the parachute system used for the capsule’s return descent.
Despite the delay, the latest forecast predicted an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions during the launch window. The crew will be aboard the ISS for approximately 14 days, conducting over 30 scientific experiments focused on the effects of spaceflight on human health and disease.
One notable feature of the mission is the participation of Alper Gezeravcı, a 44-year-old Turkish Air Force veteran set to become Turkey’s first person in orbit. He will be joined by aviation professionals from Italy, Sweden, and the United States who will also be part of this commercial astronaut mission.
Axiom Space is working in partnership with SpaceX, the rocket and satellite company of billionaire Elon Musk, to provide the launch vehicles and crew capsules for their missions. NASA will be responsible for supporting the astronauts once they reach the space station.
The goal of Axiom, an eight-year-old venture, is to eventually replace the International Space Station with a commercial space station of its own. The ISS, launched in 1998, has been continuously occupied since 2000 as part of a U.S.-Russian-led partnership that also includes Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency.
Overall, this mission reflects the growing international interest in Earth orbit as a way of enhancing global prestige and establishing advancements in space exploration.
(Reporting by Joe Skipper in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Joey Roulette in Washington; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Will Dunham)
