The Axiom-4 crewed mission to the International Space Station successfully launched Wednesday from Florida's Space Coast.The crew lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 2:31 a.m. NASA, Axiom Space and SpaceX came together to launch the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. Its four-person crew is traveling to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket.Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and the director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, is commanding the mission. Alongside her are Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu.This will be the first time a Polish national has been to space since 1978 and only the second time that a Hungarian national has been to space.Minutes after takeoff, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after stage separation. The Dragon capsule will then take over a day to travel to the ISS, as mission controllers target approximately 7 a.m. on Thursday, June 26, for docking operations.Video below: Ax-4 takes offDelaysThe Axiom-4 mission has been delayed several times, including for an evaluation of a leak aboard the ISS that has been under investigation by astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory. A separate leak of liquid oxygen from the Falcon 9 rocket previously delayed the launch as well.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Axiom-4 crewed mission to the International Space Station successfully launched Wednesday from Florida's Space Coast.
The crew lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 2:31 a.m.
NASA, Axiom Space and SpaceX came together to launch the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS.
Its four-person crew is traveling to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and the director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, is commanding the mission. Alongside her are Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu.
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This will be the first time a Polish national has been to space since 1978 and only the second time that a Hungarian national has been to space.
Minutes after takeoff, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after stage separation.
The Dragon capsule will then take over a day to travel to the ISS, as mission controllers target approximately 7 a.m. on Thursday, June 26, for docking operations.
Video below: Ax-4 takes off
Delays
The Axiom-4 mission has been delayed several times, including for an evaluation of a that has been under investigation by astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory. A separate from the Falcon 9 rocket previously delayed the launch as well.
