Aerospace company SpaceX, founded by businessman Elon Musk, sent a spacecraft with four crew members to the International Space Station, two natives of Saudi Arabia and two natives of the United States. The trip was organized by the company Axiom Space.
Watch Dragon and the Ax-2 astronauts dock with the @space_station → https://t.co/gkJqIgzTh5 https://t.co/fs7Fr7xfmb
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2023
At approximately 9:10 a.m. EST, SpaceX confirmed that docking of the spacecraft to the International Space Station was successfully completed.
Docking confirmed!
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2023
The launch took place this Sunday. It was a commercial voyage led by U.S. commander Peggy Whiston, who in 2017 broke the record for the longest time spent in space.
The astronaut was accompanied by John Shoffner, an American ex-racer and owner of a racing team; Ali al Qarni, a Saudi Army pilot; and Rayyanah Barnawi, a researcher and the first Saudi-born woman to fly in space. The four crew members will be on the International Space Station for seven days.
"This is a dream come true for everyone," Barnawi said before taking flight. "It was a phenomenal ride," Whiston said after arriving at the International Space Station.
This is the second private flight to space organized by Axiom Space. The first was executed in 2022, when they sent a retired NASA astronaut along with three entrepreneurs.
