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Crew Dragon, SpaceX’s capsule carrying humans, is about to send the first private citizens into space.
On Tuesday, Axiom Space unveiled the four crew members it chose for its AX-1 mission. This is expected to be the first mission to fly a crew entirely of private citizens to the International Space Station. The AX-1 mission will take place no earlier than January 2022. The plan is to send passengers to the space station for an eight-day stay.
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This is a big step forward for the Crew Dragon, designed by SpaceX as a means of transporting passengers between Earth and the International Space Station. Although it is primarily intended for NASA astronauts, SpaceX plans to use it for individuals to travel to space as well.
Crew Dragon is the product of the NASA Commercial Crew program, which commissioned SpaceX and Boeing to develop a capsule transporting humans. After the shuttle program ended in 2011, NASA rented seats on Soyuz rockets launched from Kazakhstan. While Crew Dragon took six people to space in two missions, in May and November 2020, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner has yet to support a crewed mission.
So who flies on AX-1?
Michael López-Alegría – The mission commander. Born in Madrid, Spain, López-Alegría immigrated to the United States as a child and is based in Washington, DC He is a former NASA astronaut and now vice president of Axiom Space. He has visited the station four times in his 20-year career with the agency, but this will be the first time he has visited the space station since 2007. He will be the first person to command a civilian human space flight. and commercial.
López-Alegría has an impressive career. During his four trips to the station (space shuttle missions STS-73, STS-92, STS-113, and Soyuz TMA-9 mission), he achieved the NASA record for the most sorties in the space (10).
It also holds the record for the longest cumulative extravehicular activity time, 67 hours and 40 minutes.
Larry Connor – The pilot. A real estate and technology entrepreneur from Dayton, Ohio, Connor is CEO of the Connor Group real estate investment company. He’s somewhat of a thrill-seeker, with an impressive history of running, rafting, flying, and rock climbing – he’s successfully scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2007.
While the mission will undoubtedly satisfy his taste for adventure, he plans to use his time at the space station to assist medical experts at the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic with research.
Mark Pathy – Canada’s 11th astronaut. Investor and philanthropist, Pathy is CEO of Montreal-based investment firm Mavrik. He is also president of media and technology company Stingray Group. Pathy is a philanthropist and a member of the board of directors of the Pathy Family Foundation.
Etyan Stibbe – Israel’s second astronaut, after Ilan Ramon – who died on his first space flight when the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated on re-entry in 2003. Stibbe is the founding partner of impact investment fund Vital Capital. He served in the Israeli Air Force alongside Ramon, and the duo served with 117 Squadron in the 1991 Gulf War.
Stibbe is one of the founders of the Ramon Foundation, created after the death of Ilan’s son, Asaf, in a training accident in 2009. The foundation is the first non-profit organization to send an astronaut to the station. spatial. Stibbe will conduct experiments in space on behalf of the foundation and educational activities aimed at inspiring a new generation.
“This pioneer collection – the first space crew of its kind – represents a defining moment in humanity’s eternal pursuit of exploration and progress,” López-Alegría said in a statement.
“I know from first-hand experience that what humans encounter in space runs deep and prompts them to make more meaningful contributions upon their return to Earth.”
And after – SpaceX has a busy schedule of planned missions. The “Crew-2” mission will be the second test flight without a crew for Crew Dragon. Comments from NASA suggest the flight could take place in early 2021.
It will feature the following astronauts:
- NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, born in Killeen, Texas.
- NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, born in Rouen, France.
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, born in Tokyo, Japan.
The “Crew-3” mission, scheduled for the end of 2021, will send the following astronauts:
- ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, born in Sankt Wendel, Germany.
- NASA astronaut Raja Chari, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, born in Statesville, North Carolina.
- An unidentified fourth crew member.
Depending on the timing, AX-1 may not earn the accolade as the first Crew Dragon mission to feature private citizens. Space Adventures, based in Washington, DC announced in February 2020 its intention to send up to four citizens into space. The launch window runs from late 2021 to mid-2022.
Previous reports also claimed future Crew Dragon passengers could include movie star Tom Cruise, who is set to shoot the first feature film in space, and director Doug Liman.
Sending NASA astronauts to the space station is just the start.
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