Back-to-back launch: Ax-4 astronauts to launch on SpaceX rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center
This article has been updated to include the postponement of the Axiom Space Mission 4 launch.
What could have been a doubleheader launch day is now just a possible back-to-back launch day.
With reported bad weather in the rocket's accent corridor, the Axiom Mission 4 Crew launch was pushed back 24 hours. The new launch target from pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is now no earlier than 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 11. The mission marks a return to spaceflight for three countries who have astronauts onboard and a return to the International Space Station for one of NASA's most well-traveled former astronauts.
Launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the international crew of four astronauts will travel to the ISS in a brand new SpaceX Dragon. Meanwhile, those on the Space Coast will be treated to a booster return to Cape Canaveral, followed by a sonic boom.
Tuesday's other planned launch is still on track for that day, according to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory. SpaceX will launch another batch of broadband satellites for the ever-expanding Starlink constellation in low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. That launch window runs from 9:03 a.m. to 1:34 p.m. on June 10.
The Axiom Mission 4 will be commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. Whitson currently holds the record for most time spent in space by an American. Whitson retired from NASA in 2018, but wasn't yet finished with space travel. In 2022, she brought her expertise to Axiom Space, flying on the Axiom Mission 2 in 2023. Ahead of this flight, she has 675 days in orbit racked up.
On May 31, Whitson was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame as she was preparing for this flight.
Joining Whitson are Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
"Ax-4 represents another important step forward in the evolution of commercial spaceflight and international collaboration in low Earth orbit," Whitson said during a June 3 press briefing. "Each mission we fly builds on the last, expanding our capabilities and deepening our understanding of how we can sustainably live and work in space."
This mission marks the fourth crewed space flight of Axiom Space, a private company which is working with NASA to build a space station that will attach to the current ISS and allow for a transition before the ISS is decommissioned in 2030. SpaceX is currently contracted to safely deorbit the aging ISS. For reference, the earliest modules of the ISS have been in orbit since 1998, and it has been continuously inhabited since 2000.
As with the ISS, the Axiom Station is intended as an international effort, something also carried over in Axiom missions. As for Axiom Mission 4, this international collaboration goes a step further. It marks the return of three countries to orbit for the first time in more than 40 years: Hungary, India, and Poland. In four decades, there have not been government-sponsored astronauts representing these countries.
When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Axiom, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
These astronauts will be busy. During their two week stay onboard the ISS, the crew plans 60 scientific experiments.
"We'll be conducting research that spans biology, material, and physical sciences, as well as technology demonstrations," said Whitson. Two of these experiments will look at human health, including research into diabetes and inhibiting growth of cancer cells.
The astronauts will also be sharing their experience with students around the world, and for Whitson, this is personal.
"Since I was inspired to be a space explorer as a kid at the age nine, I feel strongly about the importance of sharing that spark with the next generation of explorers," she said. "I believe that space has a unique way of bringing people together, and I'm proud to be a part of a mission that reflects that spirit."
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Back-to-back launches: Ax-4 astronauts to launch on SpaceX rocket from Florida
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