The Axiom Mission 2 had a successful launch today at 5:37 p.m. EDT, on a Falcon 9 by SpaceX, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a private crew mission to the ISS.
Although some clouds threatened to scrub the mission, the launch was picture-perfect, or in the parlance of mission control “Trajectory Nominal!”
The mission commander is Peggy Whitson, a retired NASA astronaut, who has a total of 665 days in space, more than any other American. The pilot is John Schoffer, an American air show pilot and investor, who bought a seat on the mission.
Mission Specialist 1 is Ali AlQarni, a Saudi astronaut, who was selected for Axiom Mission 2 by the Saudi Space Commission. He is a captain in the Royal Saudi Air Force.
Mission Specialist 2 is Rayyanah Barnawi, who was also selected by the Saudi Space Commission. She is a biomedical researcher, with a specialty in cancer and stem cell research. She holds a Master of Biomedical Sciences from Alfaisal University in Saudi Arabia, and a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences from Otago University in New Zealand. She is Saudi Arabia’s first female astronaut; this mission will be the first spaceflight for her and Ali AlQarni. This also marks the first time Saudi astronauts have flown to the ISS.
In video clips during the run-up to the launch, each crew member had a chance to describe their dreams and motivations for joining the mission; all expressing that special kind of joy to be at the frontier of science; to “find one’s edge—not your ‘limit’—but your edge,” is how Schoffer described his life’s ventures.
Rayyanah Barnawi spoke of how she wanted to inspire and encourage the next generation to go into space exploration; “the possibilities are truly unlimited,” she said.
Their planned stay aboard the ISS is for 10 days. Then the spacecraft will depart, and the expected splashdown will be in the Atlantic Ocean.
