SpaceX is set to launch the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, June 10th. The launch, which can be watched live, marks another significant step in private space exploration.
The Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:22 a.m. EDT (1222 GMT). The mission is organized by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company. A brand-new SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will carry the astronauts.
Ax-4 is Axiom Space's fourth crewed mission to the ISS. The mission is led by commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut. Whitson has spent 675 days in space, the most of any American.
The crew includes pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Sławosz Uznański from the European Space Agency, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. These individuals will be the first from their respective countries to live on the ISS. The mission is expected to arrive at the ISS on Wednesday, June 11th.
The Ax-4 astronauts will conduct approximately 60 scientific experiments during their two-week stay. This surpasses the number of experiments performed on previous Axiom Space missions. The mission will conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, with the return date dependent on weather conditions.