SpaceX Rolls Out Spacecraft That Will Carry Private Astronauts To The ISS

SpaceX and Axiom Space are working together for the first mission that will put a crew of all private astronauts on the ISS. The rocket was rolled out on April 5 to launch pad 39A and Kennedy Space Center.

The mission is scheduled to launch on Friday, April 8, and will place three paying customers and an Axiom employee into orbit and then aboard the ISS. The Axiom employee is Michael Lpez-Alegr, a former NASA astronaut who is in command of the mission.

The private astronauts will stay on the space station for eight days. While this isn’t the first time private citizens have ventured to the ISS, it is the first time that the entire crew is private.

In the past, private astronauts have always been accompanied by Roscosmos astronauts. This is the first of two missions SpaceX plans to launch with astronauts aboard this month.