Space tourism company Axiom Space’s second space tourism spacecraft, Ax-2, was launched earlier this day and participants are expected to stay on the International Space Station for eight days, according to the Kennedy Space Center.
▲ Photo credit: NASA
According to the report, the mission commander will be former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and according to NASA rules, private missions to the International Space Station must have an astronaut as a guide. Captain John Shoffner is a former race car driver and has 8,500 hours of flight experience. Notably, the crew includes Rayyanah Barnawi from Saudi Arabia, the country’s first female astronaut, and Ax-2 will be serviced by the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and launched by a Falcon 9 rocket.
The company has also partnered with Axiom Space to create a new spacecraft.
Axiom has also partnered with Build-A-Bear Workshop, a manufacturer of teddy bears, to design a teddy bear named Gigi, who will wear Axiom Space’s new lunar mission spacesuit and serve as the mission’s “zero-gravity indicator. NASA’s official website that Ax-2 is expected to arrive at the International Space Station tonight for an eight-day tour of the station.
