A private mission sends four Europeans to the International Space Station

A SpaceX rocket lifted off on Thursday 18 January to carry four passengers to the International Space Station (ISS), including the first Turk in space. The launch took place as planned at 4:49 pm local time (10:49 Paris time) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission named Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) is the third one planned by the American company Axiom Space.

The passengers, who have been training for months, are expected to spend about two weeks on the ISS, where they are due to arrive on Saturday. They then plan to conduct a series of scientific experiments there.

After enabling wealthy clients to realize their space dreams, Axiom Space now also takes individuals sponsored by national agencies. The mission thus reveals the growing role of the private sector in supporting the space ambitions of countries that do not have their own human spaceflight programs. The Ax-2 mission had already allowed two Saudis, supported by their government, to live on the ISS.

“Symbol of an increasingly powerful and assertive Turkey”

Among the crew members this time: Alper Gezeravsi, a fighter pilot who became the first Turk to cross the final frontier. “We see this mission as a symbol of an increasingly powerful and assertive Turkey.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the announcement this week “good luck” To Colonel Gezeravsi.

Also on board, Swede Markus Wandt is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA). its role“Project Astronaut” At ESA, it is allowed to participate in short-term missions through fixed-term contracts, as opposed to full-time astronauts, the European agency said. “I want to thank ESA for being bold and visionary, and for leading the way, together with Sweden and Axiom Space, to strengthen Europe’s presence in space”

Markus Wand wrote on X.

The crew is completed by Italian Walter Villadei, a member of his country’s air force. The man once flew aboard a Virgin Galactic ship, but the space trip lasted only a few minutes. Finally, Hispanic-American Michael Lopez-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut, will be the mission commander, hired by Axiom Space to support three clients. They will join seven people already aboard the flying laboratory: two American cosmonauts, one Dane, one Japanese and three Russian cosmonauts.

Details of the various contracts, including the prices paid to Axiom Space for each seat, were not disclosed. This private mission is conducted in partnership with NASA, which bills Axiom Space for use of the station. For the company, this mission is the first step before building its own space station.

A program encouraged by NASA, which plans to retire the ISS around 2030, and then send its astronauts to private stations.

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The world with AFP