Artists' impression of a Crew Dragon approaching the forward port of Harmony on the ISS | |
Names | Ax-2 |
---|---|
Mission type | Private Crew |
Operator | Axiom Space |
Website | www |
Mission duration | 16 days (planned) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | Crew Dragon |
Manufacturer | SpaceX |
Crew | |
Crew size | 4 |
Members | |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | May 2023 (planned)[1] |
Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
Contractor | SpaceX |
End of mission | |
Landing site | Atlantic Ocean |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Inclination | 51.66° |
Docking with ISS | |
Docking port | Harmony forward or zenith |
Time docked | 14 days (planned) [2] |
Axiom Mission 2 (or Ax-2) is a planned private crew mission to the International Space Station (ISS), operated by Axiom Space. Its first two crew members have been announced in May 2021.[3] In December 2021, NASA confirmed that the mission would fly on a Crew Dragon.[2] In August 2022, NASA announced that the mission would launch in the second quarter of 2023.[1] It is the second Axiom mission, after Axiom Mission 1 in April 2022.
The crew will include former NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson as mission commander and John Shoffner as pilot.[4] It was confirmed on 2 June 2021 that the mission would use a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.[5]
On January 11, 2022, Axiom announced Italian Air Force (ItAF) Colonel Walter Villadei as the company’s first international professional astronaut.[6] He is currently in training in Houston. Col. Villadei has been selected by Axiom as a backup on the Ax-2 mission.[7] In September 2022 it was reported that Saudi Arabia's Saudi Space Commission bought the remaining two seats for the mission,[8] including one for a female astronaut.[9]
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
Spacecraft commander | ![]() Fourth spaceflight | |
Pilot | ![]() First spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 1 | ![]() First spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 2 | ![]() First spaceflight |
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
TBA | ![]() |