The Ax-1 crew is set to launch no earlier than Friday, April 8th and become the first all-private crew mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts will spend eight days working and living aboard the orbiting laboratory while conducting research that lays the groundwork for a full realization of the possibilities in low-Earth orbit. The four-person multinational crew is composed of Commander Michael López-Alegría of the USA/Spain, Pilot Larry Connor of the USA, Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mission Specialist Mark Pathy of Canada.
When and where the launch will take place
Liftoff is targeted for Friday, April 8 at 11:17 a.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and will travel to and from the space station in the Dragon.
How to watch the launch
The live coverage of the Ax-1 launch will be a joint effort with Axiom, NASA, and SpaceX. The coverage will follow the journey of the four-person, multinational crew from walkout to liftoff and will continue until roughly 15 minutes after launch, from 7:50 am till approximately 11:30 am ET.
Axiom and SpaceX will begin covering prelaunch and launch activities live at axiomspace.com beginning at 7:50 a.m. ET on April 8. NASA will join Axiom’s live broadcast during the last hour of launch coverage at 10:15 a.m. ET. The launch show will end at approximately 11:30 am ET.
The Ax-1 broadcast will resume for docking, when the crew's spacecraft connects with the International Space station, at approximately 5:30 a.m. ET on April 9.
Join the conversation!
Join the conversation about the launch online through our social media channels and by using #Ax1 or ask a question using #AskAx1.
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