The four commercial astronauts who have visited the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA and Axiom Space’s Axiom Space mission will return on April 24. The crew of Ax-1 will leave the space station at 06:25 (IST) and arrival is scheduled for 22:30. Astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy and Eitan Stipe arrive at the International Space Station on April 9 for the first commercial mission.
How do you see his arrival?
The departure of the astronauts will be broadcast live starting with a hatch closing ceremony about two hours before the astronauts depart for Earth. According to NASA’s Kathy Louders, the jaws of the SpaceX Dragon capsule were pushed to 6:25 a.m. by strong winds at the spray site in the Atlantic Ocean. Interested viewers can watch the releases and departures on the NASA app and NASA TV as well as the agency’s official website and YouTube channel. SpaceX and Axiom Space will also broadcast the departure live on their respective social media.
The first commercial space flight is coming to an end
With the successful arrival of the Axi-1 crew, Axiom Space will complete its first commercial mission to the International Space Station. The mission was carried out under NASA’s agreement with Axiom which closed in January last year. Each crew member conducted numerous science experiments during their stay, and were reportedly paid $55 million, with the exception of Lopez Alegria, vice president of Axiom, for their spaceflight.
While some might argue that the Ax-1 is just a space tour for the rich, Axiom’s VP has previously said it’s not tourism at all. “I think it’s going to be an amazing experience, but it’s going to be satisfying not only because of the environment you live in, but also because of what the special astronauts will achieve,” said the former NASA astronaut.
In particular, the astronauts had to stay on the International Space Station longer than planned due to the delay in their departure. Once the Ax-1 team reaches Earth, Axiom Space will focus on its second commercial mission to the International Space Station, which is scheduled to launch between fall 2022 and late spring 2023.
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