CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space history was made Friday morning as the first-ever private astronaut mission blasted off to the International Space Station.
Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe lifted off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A on the Crew Dragon Endeavour atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Liftoff was set for 11:17 a.m. which was perfectly on time. The crew has spent the last couple of days quarantining and finalizing preparations in Florida.
Once aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Axiom Space astronauts will conduct science, education and commercial activities for eight days before returning to Earth.
"The Ax-1 crew will conduct extensive research and STEM outreach. Their efforts align with how each philanthropist carries out his work at home, in service to all on Earth and to all who follow them beyond it," Axiom Space's website reads.
According to Axiom, Friday's historic mission "begins a new chapter towards the next-gen platform for breakthrough innovation and a full realization of [the company's] vision of a thriving home in space for every human, everywhere."
Ax-1 is said to be the first of several proposed Axiom missions to the ISS and is an "important step" toward the company's goal of constructing its private space station called Axiom Station. The station looks to help double the "useable volume" of the ISS and is scheduled for launch in late 2024.
Also hitching a ride on the mission to the International Space Station will be an experiment that has ties to the Tampa Bay area. Moffitt Cancer Center investigators Drs. Patsy McDonald and Derek Duckett are partnering with SpacePharma to study stress and DNA damage caused by space travel with the hope of developing therapies to prevent it.
Here's a video of the launch: