First Private Mission To Space Station Takes Off From Florida
The first fully private astronaut mission to the International Space Station took off from Florida on Friday with a four-member crew from startup company Axiom Space.
Earlier on Friday, the ISS announced on its verified Twitter page that, it had concluded plans to officially launch its first private mission to the space station in a historic feat with Axiom Space.
The mission, known as Axiom-1, finally launched at 11:17 am ET (1517 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Centre.
The crew are expected to use 10 days in orbit, including eight days aboard the station.
They are expected to arrive at the space station, some 250 miles above Earth, in 28 hours.
During the 10-day trip the tourists will participate in scientific research–aging in space and stem cell experiments—and technology demonstrations, Axiom Space said in a statement.
