When And Where To Watch The Historic Launch This Week Of The $55 Million-Per-Seat Private Mission To The ISS

This coming week will see a true landmark in human spaceflight when the world’s first all-private astronaut mission lifts-off to the International Space Station (ISS).

Axiom Space’s Ax-1 mission will see four multinational—though all-male—astronauts launch in a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 re-suable rocket.

They are each paying a reported $55 million for the opportunity.

When and where will Ax-1 launch?

The liftoff will take place at 12:05 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was originally slated to take place on Sunday, April 3, 2022.

However, the new date is a “no earlier than” date, so it could slip.

Where to watch Axiom Space’s official Ax-1 webcast

The launch and various pre-launch activities will be shown live on a webcast at axiomspace.com beginning 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday, April 6 at, 2022.

The key moment, aside from the launch itself, will be the crew walkout to Launch Complex 39A at 12:05 pm.

The webcast will cease about 15 minutes after launch as the Dragon capsule enters orbit around Earth.

Where to watch the NASA coverage of Ax-1

NASA’s live launch coverage will begin at 10:45 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 6 at, 2022.

Who will be on the Ax-1 mission to the ISS?

Crew members comprise:

Commander Michael López-Alegría (a former NASA astronaut and employee of Axiom Space) and three paying customers—Pilot Larry Connor (U.S.) and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe (Israel) and Mark Pathy (Canada). They’ve been training with NASA and SpaceX since August 2021.

“The goal for the Ax-1 crew is to set a standard for all future private astronaut missions in terms of our preparation and professionalism,” said López-Alegría.

What will the Ax-1 astronauts do on the ISS?

Although Ax-1 is a 10-day mission the crew will spend only eight days on the ISS.

They are scheduled to arrive at 01:00 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 8, 2022 and depart on Saturday, April 16, 2022. The Ax-1 crew will splash down off the coast of Florida.

While on the orbiting space station the four private astronauts will conduct 100 hours of scientific research on 25 experiments, outreach and commercial activities.

Conducting experiments for Mayo Clinic, Connor will be gathering data on space travel’s impact on senescent cells (which are linked to multiple age-related diseases) and heart health. For and Cleveland Clinic he’ll be providing pre- and post-mission high-resolution MRIs to study the effects of the spaceflight environment on spinal and brain tissue.

On behalf of The Montreal Children’s Hospital, Canadian Research Universities and The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Pathy will be testing “holoportation” apps, conducting Earth observation and doing research that aims to help unravel the mysteries surrounding chronic pain and sleep disturbances during space travel.

Stibbe’s work on the ISS for the Ramon Foundation and in collaboration with the Israel Space Agency in the Israeli Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology will see him conduct various experiments in astrophysics, agriculture, optics, communication, biology, healthcare, neurology and ophthalmology.

Will there be more private missions to the ISS?

That’s the plan. In fact, already scheduled-in is Ax-2, which will become the second private astronaut mission to the ISS between fall 2022 and late spring 2023. Ax-2 will again launch from Florida for a mission of no more than 14 days docked to the space station. Ax-3 is planned for 2023.

Axiom Space is now creating modules for the ISS for integration in 2024, while it also has its own plans to construct its own private space station called Axiom Station. IN the longer term the company wants to create a rotating city in space.

“We applaud the Ax-1 crew’s commitment to advancing scientific inquiry and kicking off this civilizational leap,” said Michael Suffredini, President and CEO of Axiom Space, when the trip was confirmed last November. “We’re confident this mission will become not just a monumental moment in space travel, but the true beginning of making space’s potential for meaningful discovery available to private citizens and organizations for the first time.”

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.