A private space mission takes off on a SpaceX rocket bound for the International Space Station

A SpaceX rocket took off from Florida this Thursday bound for the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a private mission with four passengers on board, including a Swede, an Italian and the first Turk to go into space.

This mission, called Ax-3, is the third organized by the American company Axiom Space, in collaboration with NASA, which allows the use of the station.

The launch took place as scheduled at 4:49 PM (21:49 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in the southeastern United States.

The four members of the crew, who had been training for monthswill arrive at the ISS on Saturday, where they will stay for about two weeks.

They will conduct a series of scientific experiments at the station.

After enabling wealthy customers to realize their space dreams, Axiom space It now also welcomes people sponsored by national organizations.

This mission highlights the growing role of the private sector in supporting the space ambitions of countries that do not have their own human flight program.

Some customers

The Ax-2 mission has already allowed two Saudis, backed by their government, to remain on the ISS. This time the crew consists of Alper Gezeravci, a fighter pilot who has become the first Turk to cross the last border.

“We see this mission as a symbol of an increasingly powerful and established Türkiye.,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this week, wishing Colonel Gezeravci “good luck.”

Swede Marcus Wandt is also on board, with support from the European Space Agency (ESA).

His role as “project astronautAt ESA, unlike full-time astronauts, you can participate in short-term missions with a fixed-term contract, the European agency reports.

“I would like to thank ESA for its courage and visionary character, and for leading, together with Sweden and Axiom Space, in strengthening the European presence in space,” Wandt wrote on the social network X.

The crew is completed by the Italian Walter Villadei, member of his country’s air force, who is already on board a ship from Virgo Galactic for a few minutes.

Finally, the Spanish-American Michael López-Alegría, former NASA astronaut, will be the mission commander, hired by Axiom Space to guide the three customers.

Future private station

The crew will board the flying laboratory together with seven other people: two American astronauts, a Dane, a Japanese and three Russian cosmonauts.

The details of the various contracts, including the prices paid to Axiom Space for each space, have not been made public.

These private missions are conducted in partnership with NASA, which charges Axiom Space for use of the station.

For the company, these missions are a first step towards building its own space station.

A program encouraged by NASA, which plans to close the ISS around 2030 and then send its astronauts to private stations. (JO)