The SpaceX Dragon Freedom craft approaching the ISS over the Himalayas. (Image Credit: NASA).
The Axiom Mission 3 is a private spaceflight mission to the International Space Station (ISS), that is operated by Axiom Space, and uses the SpaceX Dragon Crew Capsule. The mission launched on 18 January 2024, with a mission profile lasting 14 days. The Axiom Mission 3 was originally scheduled to undock and depart from the ISS on 03 February, 2024, but the weather conditions at Florida delayed the departure. NASA, Axiom Space and SpaceX are now looking at a departure on 05 February, 2024, after another weather review is conducted to assess the situation.
Who is the crew of Axiom Space 3?
The four private astronauts on board the Axiom Mission 3 are Michael López-Alegría, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt, and Alper Gezeravci. They will be returning to the surface of the Earth along with over 550 pounds of cargo, including the hardware and data from over 30 experiments that were conducted by the Axiom Mission 3 crew, along with over 50 outreach activities. According to the planned mission profile, the SpaceX Dragon will return to the Earth with an ocean splashdown, off the coast of Florida, with the recovery teams moving in to capture the hardware and private astronauts. The process of just the hatch closure and undocking is expected to take over two hours.
The members of the Axiom 3 mission prepared for the departure by conducting housekeeping tasks and cleaning up after their two week long stay. The payloads, experimental hardware and personal belongings all had to be packed away for the return journey. The mission crew also conducted a departure conference. The delay in the undocking and departure provided the Axiom 3 crew with some rare extra leisure time on board the ISS. NASA will be broadcasting as well as livestreaming the departure in realtime. The complex undocking operation is expected to last over two hours. Both Axiom Space and SpaceX will be livestreaming the proceedings as well.
