The Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crew has successfully reached their destination and will begin their planned 14-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS). After seamlessly docking to the orbiting laboratory, Ax-3 Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Walter Villadei, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı, and Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt entered the space station at 7:15 a.m. ET on Jan. 20.
As a symbolic gesture, Commander López-Alegría ceremoniously adorned his fellow crewmates with the official astronaut pin, marking the crew’s formal commencement of becoming astronauts. López-Alegría presented his crewmates with their official astronaut pins, declaring Gezeravcı to be the 676th and Wandt the 677th to go to space. Villadei became number 666 during his Virgin Galactic flight on Jun. 29, 2023.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying the Ax-3 astronauts, embarked on its voyage to space atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:49 p.m. ET on Jan. 18 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
During their time aboard the space station, the Ax-3 crew will conduct a diverse array of over 30 experiments spanning various fields in science and technology. These endeavors aim to propel advancements in human spaceflight and contribute to enhancing life on our home planet. Ax-3 stands as the third among multiple proposed Axiom Space human spaceflight missions, laying the groundwork for Axiom Station, which is set to become the world’s first commercial space station.
The mission is scheduled to conclude on Feb. 3 with undocking, culminating in a splashdown off the coast of Florida aboard the Dragon spacecraft.
Click here to watch the Ax-3 welcome ceremony.