CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Commercial space company Axiom Space announced the full crew for Axiom Mission 2.
This team consists of four members, former NASA astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson, pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The team will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center, taking the SpaceX Dragon capsule to the International Space Center.
Once they dock, the space crew plans to spend 10 days aboard the orbiting laboratory with different objectives in mind including science, outreach, and commercial activities.
This mission is planned to take flight this Spring and will be the first private mission comprised of both private astronauts and astronauts representing foreign governments, as well as the first private mission commanded by a woman.
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“Ax-2 moves Axiom Space one step closer toward the realization of a commercial space station in low-Earth orbit and enables us to build on the legacy and achievements of the ISS, leveraging the benefits of microgravity to better life on Earth,” said Michael Suffredini, president and CEO of Axiom Space.
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