Ax-3 Mission | Crew Media Roundtable

Axiom Space held a virtual media roundtable with the astronauts of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

In an historic venture, three countries – Italy, Türkiye, and Sweden through the European Space Agency (ESA) – have united for Ax-3. Axiom Space’s Chief Astronaut Michael López-Alegría (dual citizen of the U.S. and Spain), former NASA astronaut and Axiom Mission 1 commander, will serve as the Ax-3 commander. Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are Alper Gezeravcı of Türkiye and European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden.

As part of Ax-3, Türkiye is sending its first astronaut to space in a larger effort to expand the nation’s space exploration capabilities and establish a national human spaceflight program. Ax-3 will also be the first commercial spaceflight mission for an ESA-sponsored astronaut. For Italy, the Ax-3 mission represents a whole-of-country effort to foster its endeavor for safe, secure, and effective access to space.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-3 crew aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the ISS from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than January 2024. Once docked, the Ax-3 astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days on board implementing a full mission comprised of microgravity research, educational outreach, and commercial activities.

Learn more about Ax-3: https://axiom.space/ax3

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