Space

All-Private SpaceX Astronaut Mission Returns From ISS

APR 25 2022·Updated JAN 20 2023

Story

Image credit: SpaceX/AP [via Washington Post]

The Facts

The first crew of private astronauts returned from the International Space Station (ISS), splashing down off the coast of FL on Mon. in a SpaceX capsule that marked a milestone for commercial spaceflight.
wapo
The mission was brokered by the TX-based startup Axiom Space in close coordination with SpaceX and NASA as they travelled to the ISS in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The mission's cost wasn't disclosed.
CNN
The crew was commanded by the former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría and it included 3 entrepreneurs - Mark Pathy, Larry Connor, and Eytan Stibbe. They conducted 25 scientific and biomedical experiments in orbit during their 17-day trip.
Forbes
The so-called AX-1 mission was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on April 8, on an 8-day mission on ISS, but bad weather delayed its return. They spent 15 days aboard the space station with 7 regular ISS crew members: 3 from the US, 3 from Russia, and 1 from Germany.
FOX News
Axiom Space will now focus on its second spaceflight after NASA accepted its proposal in Dec. 2021. The next mission is expected to launch between fall 2022 and late spring 2023.
Republic World

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The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

The super-rich are taking joyrides in space as over half of the people in this country are living paycheck to paycheck. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are getting billions of dollars in corporate welfare to subsidize their space misadventures. Anyone who thinks we don't have an oligarchy right here in America is sorely mistaken.

CNBC

Pro-establishment narrative

This landmark mission went far beyond space tourism, becoming an exciting turning point in low-Earth orbit spaceflight operations. It signals the transition to a commercial space station - the ISS will need a replacement in the future.