The four-person crew will spend two weeks on the ISS, conducting 30 experiments in microgravity|@SpaceX|X
In a historic SpaceX launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Thursday, the first all-European commercial crew is en route to the International Space Station (ISS), following a one-day delay.
Sponsored by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company, this mission named Ax-3 marks their third group of paying passengers heading to the ISS, with plans to construct its own orbiting space station.
The four-person crew will spend two weeks in space, conducting 30 experiments in microgravity. Experiment topics range from biomedical research to cooking pasta in space.
The crew, led by Axiom’s chief astronaut Michael López-Alegría, includes Italian Air Force pilot Walter Villadei and mission specialists Alper Gezeravci of Turkey and Marcus Wandt of Sweden.
The Ax-3 mission follows Axiom’s successful inaugural mission in April 2020.