Space News reports that SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft “splashed down off the Florida coast Feb. 9, wrapping up a three-week private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Freedom splashed down at 8:30 a.m. Eastern off the coast from Daytona Beach, Florida, concluding the Ax-3 mission for Axiom Space.”
Full Story (Space News)
Ax-3 Crew Dragon splashdown
(SciNews; YouTube)
Reuters reported a four-man crew “arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) early on Saturday for a two-week stay in the latest such mission arranged entirely at commercial expense by Texas-based startup company Axiom Space.” Their arrival “came about 37 hours after the Axiom quartet’s Thursday evening liftoff in a rocketship from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.”
Full Story (Reuters)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) CEO Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:
“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate the entire Axiom Space team on its successful AX-3 launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. We applaud this private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), showing how NASA and private industry are working together to extend the human neighborhood into low Earth orbit.
It is exciting to anticipate the AX-3 crew’s busy schedule onboard the ISS orbiting laboratory, conducting more than 30 scientific investigations into human health and well-being, radiation exposure, genetic expression, and Earth observations. This meaningful research in space is expanding our scientific knowledge as we witness the space economy growing. These explorers and innovators are working to improve life on Earth and accelerate our off-world future. We look forward to following their progress.
We recognize the countless aerospace industry professionals involved in making this mission a success. We salute AIAA Corporate Member Axiom Space, as they collaborate with NASA and SpaceX. They are shaping the future of aerospace.”
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
AX-3 launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center at 4:49 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 18.
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)