Watch SpaceX launch four astronauts to the International Space Station
This is the third mission flown by SpaceX for Axiom Space.
SpaceX on Thursday launched a crew of four astronauts, including one former veteran NASA astronaut and three European astronauts, to the International Space Station (ISS).
One of the company's Falcon 9 rockets lifted off at 4:49 p.m. Eastern from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending its Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The craft, named Freedom, separated from the upper stage of the rocket around 12 minutes after liftoff.
Freedom is expected to dock with the ISS Jan. 20 at around 4:19 a.m. Eastern. Both the crew and shuttle will remain on the station for two weeks before returning to Earth.
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The mission represents the third such mission flown by SpaceX for Axiom Space. The first was flown in April 2022 and the second in May 2023.
The goal of this ongoing round of Axiom missions, according to the company, is to further its efforts to lay the groundwork needed to construct and operate its Axiom Station, which aims to be the world's first commercial space station upon the decommissioning of the ISS in 2030.
Falcon 9 launches Ax-3, Dragon’s 12th human spaceflight mission pic.twitter.com/VaswQz7npo— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 18, 2024
Construction of the Axiom Station is actively underway, with the company planning to launch the first module of the station — which will operate in low-Earth orbit — in 2026.
"Axiom Station will host people, research and manufacturing, which will lead to the development of numerous industries using techniques that are available only in microgravity," the company says. "The station will also service the rapidly expanding infrastructure and solutions operating in space and provide an accessible platform for private companies and national governments to continue the research and development of breakthrough innovations."
The astronauts onboard the shuttle briefly checked in late Thursday, confirming the safety and well-being of the crew.
Axiom's chief of mission integration and operations Derek Hassmann said Jan. 16 that the company plans to fly similarly brief private missions to the ISS twice annually until the 2026 launch of the first component of its space station.
Axiom's fourth mission, Ax-4, is expected to launch in the fall.
Watch live as the Ax-3 astronauts check in from orbit https://t.co/WnEtcsGxzU— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 18, 2024
The mission represented the third flight of Freedom and the fifth flight of the Falcon 9 booster.
SpaceX flew a record 96 missions last year, with plans to boost that number to 144 in 2024. The private space company's efforts to ramp up global rocket launches have some scientists concerned about the injection of ozone-depleting soot and chemicals into the upper layers of the atmosphere.
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