NASA and Axiom Space will provide coverage of launch and select mission activities for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
Liftoff is scheduled at 11:17 a.m. EDT Friday, April 8, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Coverage begins on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website beginning at 10:15 a.m. EDT Friday, April 8. Coverage will join the Axiom Space broadcast that begins at about 7:50 a.m. The broadcast will end after orbital insertion approximately 15 minutes after launch.
Weather officials with the 45th Weather Squadron are predicting a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with the primary concern being liftoff winds. Teams also are monitoring the down range weather for the flight path of the Crew Dragon.
Ax-1 crew members, Commander Michael López-Alegría of the U.S. and Spain, Pilot Larry Connor of the U.S., Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mission Specialist Mark Pathy of Canada, will launch on a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aboard SpaceX Dragon Endeavour on its third flight to station.
Leaders from NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX will participate in a postlaunch media briefing to provide an update on the launch and mission operations. The briefing is targeted to begin at 12:30 p.m. EDT, or about one hour following launch.
During the 10-day mission, eight of which will be spent aboard the orbiting laboratory, the crew will complete more than 25 science experiments and technology demonstrations developed for a microgravity environment.
NASA is working to build a robust low-Earth orbit economy and working with private companies to support the agency’s goals. In doing so, NASA can become one of many customers of this robust economy as the agency focuses on landing the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program.
To follow along with the Ax-1 mission, visit https://www.axiomspace.com/ax1 and the Ax-1 Briefings, Events and Broadcast Schedule. NASA will release a separate advisory at a later date to preview the Ax-1 farewell event and return coverage.
For more information about NASA’s low-Earth orbit commercialization activities, visit:
