NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agencys website will feature some prelaunch and launch activities, as well as docking operations.
Liftoff is scheduled for 5:37 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 21, from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will travel to the orbiting outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Freedom, after launching on the companys Falcon 9 rocket.
The Ax-2 crew members are Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
NASAs mission responsibility is for integrated operations, which begins during the spacecrafts approach to the International Space Station, continues during the crews stay aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting science, education, and commercial activities, and concludes once Dragon exits the area of the space station.
NASA coverage of the Ax-2 launch is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on operations):
Monday, May 15
5 p.m. Flight Readiness Review Teleconference (NASA expects to host the telecon about one hour after the review is complete. The agency will update its space station blog with a specific start time.)
This media briefing will focus on the readiness of the Ax-2 flight to visit the space station, including arrival, docking, in-orbit, and undocking operations at the orbital complex. NASA will provide a live stream of the audio at:
Briefing participants include:
- Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASAs Space Operations Mission Directorate
- Joel Montalbano, manager, NASAs International Space Station Program
- Angela Hart, manager, NASAs Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program
- Derek Hassmann, chief of mission integration and operations, AxiomSpace
- William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
