A SPACEX capsule carrying three paying customers and a former NASA astronaut has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), finishing the first leg of this first-of-its-kind mission that will last about 10 days. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in the United States on Friday. And the spacecraft, which separated from the rocket after reaching orbit, spent about 20 hours free flying through orbit as it maneuvered closer to the ISS. The trip was brokered by U.S. startup Axiom Space, which seeks to book rocket rides, provide all the necessary training, and coordinate flights to the ISS for anyone who can afford it. It’s all in line with the U.S. Government’s and the private sector’s goal to boost commercial activity on the ISS and beyond. On board this mission, called AX-1, are Michael Lopez-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut-turned Axiom employee who is commanding the mission, Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe, Canadian investor Mark Pathy and U.S. real estate magnate Larry Connor. After reaching the ISS aboard their SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, they joined seven professional astronauts already on board the space station, including three NASA astronauts, a German astronaut and three Russian cosmonauts. Connor will be doing some research on how spaceflight affects senescent cells, which are cells that have ceased the normal replication process and are “linked to multiple age-related diseases,” according to Axiom. That research will be done in partnership with the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic. Among the items on Pathy’s to-do list is some additional medical research, focused more on children’s health that he’ll conduct in partnership with several Canadian hospitals, and some conservation-awareness initiatives. Stibbe will also do some research and focus on “educational and artistic activities to connect the younger generation in Israel and around the globe,” according to Axiom. It’s not the first time paying customers or otherwise non-astronauts have visited the ISS, as Russia has sold seats on its Soyuz spacecraft for various wealthy thrill seekers in years past. But this is the first mission that includes a crew entirely comprised of private citizens with no active members of a government astronaut corps. It’s also the first time private citizens have traveled to the ISS on a U.S.-made spacecraft. Axiom previously disclosed a price of US$55 million per seat for a 10-day trip to the ISS. The mission is made possible by very close coordination among Axiom, SpaceX and NASA, since the ISS is government-funded and operated. And the space agency has revealed some details on how much it’ll charge for use of its 20-year-old orbiting laboratory. Food alone costs US$2,000 per day, per person, in space. Getting provisions to and from the space station for a commercial crew is another US$88,000-164,000 per person, per day. For each mission, bringing on the necessary support from NASA astronauts will cost commercial customers another US$5.2 million, and all the mission support and planning that NASA lends is another US$4.8 million. Their food was prepared in partnership with celebrity chef and philanthropist Jose Andrés. (SD-Agencies) | 