Axiom Space held a virtual press conference with leaders from NASA and SpaceX, as well as leaders from the Italian Air Force, Turkish Space Agency (TUA), and European Space Agency (ESA) to provide a high-level review of mission operations and objectives to officially kick off major media efforts leading up to Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3).
During the press conference, Axiom Space President Matt Ondler announced that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with launch the Ax-3 crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than January 9, 2024, from Florida.
Ax-3 will be the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to launch to the ISS – redefining the pathway to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and helping chart a course toward Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station.
The Ax-3 crewmembers are Commander Michael López-Alegría of the U.S. and Spain, Pilot Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force, and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravcı of Türkiye and Marcus Wandt of Sweden and ESA.
Participants included:
Matt Ondler, President, Axiom Space
Michael López-Alegría, Chief Astronaut and Ax-3 Commander, Axiom Space
Angela Hart, Manager, Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program, NASA
Joel Montalbano, Manager, International Space Station Program, NASA
Sarah Walker, Director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
Col. Valerio Anastasi, Chief of Space Programs and Capabilities Office, Italian Air Force
Tufan KAYACI, Head of Launch System Department, Turkish Space Agency (TUA)
Frank De Winne, Head of the European Astronaut Centre, European Space Agency (ESA)
Click here to listen to the Ax-3 mission overview press conference.
Follow along for mission updates with #Ax3 on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook, and on our website.