November 22, 2024

Ax-3 Mission Countdown: ISS Crew Readies for Historic Private Astronaut Arrival

Credit: NASAFour personal astronauts are preparing for launch to the International Space Station this week while the Expedition 70 crew ramps up microgravity research and maintenance tasks after the other days off-duty day.The 3rd personal astronaut objective to the station, Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), is set up to liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:11 p.m. EST Wednesday, January 17. Ax-3 team members, Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Walter Villadei of Italy, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı of Turkey, and ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden, will make the trek to the orbital laboratory aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, docking at 5:15 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19. OHara inspected the airflow in crew quarters, prepped sleep lodgings for crew occupancy, and cleaned the liners and vents where the four private astronauts will sleep while aboard the orbital outpost.ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen likewise prepped for Ax-3, completing training for Dragon rendezvous and docking.