The crew concluded their 12-day mission with a return flight aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, expected to land via parachute in the ocean.
AX-1 crew in the Crew Dragon capsule. (Photo: Axiom)
The AX-1 Mission was introduced by the startup Axiom Space based in Houston, Texas, providing a rocket journey, training, and flight coordination to the ISS for paying passengers. The four crew members included commander Michael Lopez-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut, Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe, Canadian investor Mark Pathy, and real estate investor Larry Connor from Ohio. They departed the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon at 10 AM on April 20, according to Hanoi time.
The crew will spend several hours in the 4-meter capsule as Crew Dragon ascends to the edge of Earth’s dense atmosphere. They will land via parachute in the ocean if weather conditions permit, according to NASA.
Three paying passengers completed approximately 15 weeks of training before the flight. While the crew did not have to worry about piloting the spacecraft since Crew Dragon operates fully autonomously, they thoroughly studied the capsule’s design, prepared for all emergency situations, and completed test flights in a zero-gravity environment, similar to professional astronauts.
Lopez-Alegría and the other crew members arrived at the ISS about a week prior and met with astronauts currently working there, including three NASA astronauts, one German astronaut, and three Russian astronauts. During their stay at the station, the group adhered to a schedule that included 14 hours of activities, including scientific research designed by various hospitals, universities, and technology companies. They also spent time video calling with children and students.
AX-1 is the first mission with an entirely civilian crew, with no members coming from government agencies. It is also the first time civilians have traveled to the ISS aboard a spacecraft produced in the United States. The cost of the mission has not been disclosed.
