KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – SpaceX confirmed Wednesday the all-private crew mission Ax-1 is scheduled to take off Friday morning, according to the company’s social media.
The launch, previously planned for Wednesday, will now try to get off the ground on April 8 at 11:17 a.m., SpaceX said.
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Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete – targeting Friday, April 8 at 11:17 a.m. ET for launch of @Axiom_Space’s Ax-1 mission; weather forecast is currently 80% favorable for liftoff and teams are monitoring conditions along the ascent corridor
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 6, 2022
Launch day weather is forecast to be 80% favorable, with the same chances given in the event of a 24-hour delay and an even higher chance of 90% favorable weather if a 48-hour delay occurs, according to the 45th Weather Squadron.
Onboard the SpaceX Dragon crew capsule will be Axiom Space astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe. The group will spend eight days on the International Space Station conducting scientific research.
Axiom said the mission will mark an important step toward its construction of a private space station intended to serve as an academic and commercial hub.
The crew will make the ride atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, using a booster — B1062 — that has so far made four successful flights, including the crewed Inspiration-4 mission in September 2021.