The first fully European private trade mission The flight to the International Space Station (ISS) successfully launched this Thursday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in central Florida under the command of Spanish-American Michael López-Alegría.
The Ax-3 mission of the American company Axion Space started with four crew members on board at 4:49 p.m. local time (9:49 p.m. GMT) from Cape Canaveral and want to carry out more than thirty scientific experiments in microgravity on the ISS, including on stem cells or cancer. This is the first time that the crew, which will remain at the orbital outpost for 14 days, will consist entirely of Europeans.
In addition to López-Alegría, the Italian Walter Villadei (pilot) and the specialists Alper Gezeravci, the first Turk to travel into space, and Marcus Wandt from Sweden are on the mission. The Ax-3 launched on schedule in an 8 meter high Dragon capsule powered by a reusable two-stage 70 meter Falcon 9 rocket, both from Elon Musk's private trading company SpaceX. The precise launch of the rocket after completing the engine cooling, retraction and launch phases was met with cheers and applause in the control room.
Just three minutes later, The ship flew into space at a speed of 3,500 km/h and it was separated from the reusable first stage, which completed its return flight and landed successfully on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. And about 15 minutes later, the rocket's second stage was fired, after which the four astronauts smiled and gave their thumbs up.
“Congratulations to Axiom and SpaceX on a successful launch! Together with our commercial partners, NASA supports a growing commercial space economy and the future of space technology,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement Thursday. Nelson emphasized that this is “the first fully European commercial astronaut mission to the space station,” proof that “the possibility of space connects us all.”
The crew of the commercial mission, sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA), will conduct scientific research related to life sciences, human psychology and industrial technological advances. Some of the results could be used to identify new therapies in the fight against cancer, for example, at an early stage when it is still curable.
If all goes well, the capsule will dock 36 hours after liftoff from Cape Canaveral at 4:49 a.m. local time (09:49 GMT) on Saturday with the space station, which has been in orbit since 1998 and will operate until 2030. The hatches between Dragon and the ISS are expected to open after 11:00 GMT, allowing the Axiom crew to enter the station to be greeted by its seven occupants with a welcoming ceremony and begin their journey. Stay in the orbital laboratory. The Ax-3 astronauts will depart the space station on February 3 as scheduled and subject to weather conditions to return to Earth and land off the coast of Florida. The private mission will also help advance private development and use of the ISS in this new era, creating a strong and sustainable market for Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
this is that fifth flight of the Falcon 9 first stage launch vehicle and third flight of the Dragon spacecraft, with a capacity for 7 passengers and carrying significant cargo to Earth. Former Spanish-American NASA astronaut López-Alegría, 65, had already led Axiom's first commercial mission in 2022, when he spent 17 days on the ISS. On this occasion he will stay on the aforementioned space station for two weeks. The reusable Falcon 9 rocket costs $67 million, and SpaceX is offering discounts on multiple launch purchases as well as crew transportation services to commercial customers looking to carry astronauts to LEO. Axiom Space was founded in 2016 to capitalize on the emerging market for commercial activities in low Earth orbit, from tourism to manufacturing. The private commercial company plans to operate its own space station, the construction of which it will begin as part of the ISS, with the aim of launching the first module in 2026. The launch of the mission was scheduled for this Wednesday, but those responsible have postponed the launch. It takes until today to carry out a final check and data analysis of the vehicle. NASA's efforts, including private astronaut missions, open up access to low Earth orbit for private industry and allow the American agency to become one of many customers of a thriving commercial space economy. EFE emi/enb (photo)(video)
