From the Liveblog of
Friday, April 8, 2022
First all-private crew successfully launches off to space, with Israel’s Eytan Stibbe on board
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The first-ever all-private astronaut crew has successfully launched off to space, with Israel’s Eytan Stibbe among the four onboard on their way to the International Space Station.
Former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría is in command of the crew, which includes pilot Larry Connor and mission specialists Stibbe and Mark Pathy. The mission is managed by Axiom Space, a Houston-based firm contracted with SpaceX.
Stibbe is to carry out some 35 experiments for companies and research institutions on his privately funded Rakia Mission to the ISS.
He will be the second Israeli to ever make it to space.
The first-ever Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, was killed in 2003 when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry into the atmosphere, killing all seven crew members on board. Members of the Ramon family were on hand when Stibbe’s flight was first announced in 2020, and were also present at the take-off in Orlando on Friday.
LIVE: Axiom Mission 1 is lifting off from @NASAKennedy for eight days of science, outreach, and commercial activities on the @Space_Station!
Launch is scheduled for 11:17am ET (15:17 UTC)—join us, @Axiom_Space, and @SpaceX for live #Ax1 coverage. https://t.co/xU6PuWRCqI
— NASA (@NASA) April 8, 2022
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