_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Names | Ax-2 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Private spaceflight to theISS |
| Operator | |
| COSPAR ID | 2023-070A |
| SATCATno. | 56739 |
| Website | axiomspace |
| Mission duration | 9 days, 5 hours, 26 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Crew Dragon Freedom |
| Spacecraft type | Crew Dragon |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 4 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 21, 2023, 21:37:09 (2023-05-21UTC21:37:09Z) UTC (5:37:09 pm EDT)[1] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5B1080-1 |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC‑39A |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| End of mission | |
| Recovered by | MV Megan |
| Landing date | May 31, 2023, 03:04 (2023-05-31UTC03:05Z) UTC |
| Landing site | Gulf of Mexico |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Docking withISS | |
| Docking port | Harmony zenith |
| Docking date | May 22, 2023, 13:12 UTC |
| Undocking date | May 30, 2023, 15:05 UTC |
| Time docked | 8 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes[2] |
 Axiom Mission 2 patch  From left:Whitson,Shoffner,AlQarni andBarnawi | |
Axiom Mission 2 (orAx-2) was a private crewed spaceflight operated byAxiom Space. Ax-2 was launched on May 21, 2023, on aSpaceXFalcon 9, successfully docking with theInternational Space Station (ISS) on May 22.[3][2]After eight days docked to the ISS, the Dragon crew capsuleFreedom undocked and returned to Earth twelve hours later.[4]
Ax-2 was the second Axiom mission afterAxiom Mission 1 in April 2022 and the third privatecrewedSpaceX Dragon mission.
The crew was commanded by Axiom employeePeggy Whitson, a formerNASA astronaut.[5]John Shoffner, aspace tourist, served as the pilot.[6] TheSaudi Space Agency purchased the other two seats on the flight and named astronautsAli AlQarni andRayyanah Barnawi to be the Mission Specialists.[7]
Axiom had initially announced in April 2021 that one crew member for the second Axiom spaceflight to the ISS would be selected viaWho Wants to Be an Astronaut?, a reality television series to be produced byDiscovery Channel.[8][9]On January 11, 2022, Axiom announced Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei as the company's first international professional astronaut.[10] Col. Villadei was subsequently announced by Axiom as a backup crew member for Ax-2.[11] He would later go on to serve as the pilot on Ax-3.
On September 22, 2022, Axiom Space announced it would partner with the Saudi Space Agency to send two Saudi astronauts on Ax-2 to research cancer, cloud seeding, and microgravity in space.[12] This mission included the first female Saudi astronaut to go to space.[13]
| Position[7] | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Peggy Whitson,Axiom Space Fourth spaceflight | |
| Pilot | John Shoffner First spaceflight Space tourist | |
| Mission specialist | Ali AlQarni,SSA First spaceflight | |
| Mission specialist | Rayyanah Barnawi,SSA First spaceflight | |
| Position[14] | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Michael López-Alegría,Axiom Space | |
| Pilot | Walter Villadei,AM | |
| Mission specialist | Ali AlGhamdi,SSA | |
| Mission specialist | Mariam Fardous,SSA | |
Axiom 2 lifted off on May 21, 2023, fromLaunch Complex 39A atKennedy Space Center, onboard aFalcon 9 Block 5 rocket. For the first time on a crew mission, the first stage of Falcon 9 landed on land atCape Canaveral Space Force Station'sLanding Zone 1 instead of the more common at-sea recovery typical of crew flights. The mission, which was the second flight ofCrew DragonFreedom, docked with the International Space Station a day later.
During the mission, the crew performed public outreach activities along with scientific research, including studies into the effects of microgravity on stem cells and other biological experiments.[15]
After eight days docked to the ISS, Axiom 2 undocked and returned to Earth twelve hours later.Freedomsplashed down successfully in theGulf of Mexico off the coast ofPanama City, Florida. It was recovered by SpaceX's recovery shipMegan.[4]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.See also:ISS expeditions,Uncrewed ISS flights | ||
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