After targeting Thursday morning for a launch window, SpaceX has successfully completed a launch for Axiom Space.
SpaceX launched the Ax-1 Mission to the International Space Station on Thursday morning using the Falcon 9 booster and its Dragon spacecraft, as seen in a live stream shared by the company on Twitter.
Four astronauts were launched to the International Space Station to conduct research in what is considered the first all-private human spaceflight mission.
The team is conducted of U.S. astronauts Commander Michael López-Alegría and Pilot Larry Connor, as well as Israeli astronaut and Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe and Canadian astronaut and fellow Mission Specialist Mark Pathy.
Watch Falcon 9 launch @Axiom_Space’s Ax-1 mission → https://t.co/N3MHSxCS0k https://t.co/zb2hvH3J5E
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 8, 2022
On SpaceX’s web page detailing the launch, it says, “On its flight to the International Space Station, Dragon executed a series of burns that positioned the vehicle progressively closer to the station before it executed final docking maneuvers, followed by pressurization of the vestibule, hatch opening, and crew ingress.”
It also marks the fifth flight for the Falcon 9 booster, which has also launched countless SpaceX missions for Starlink, a handful of military and pentagon contracts and several resupply missions for the International Space Station.
You can watch the full live stream of the launch below, complete with commentary and setup shots as the crew prepares for takeoff. The crew should reach the Space Station by tomorrow, so stay tuned.
