Axiom team reaches International Space Station with message 'Space brings everyone together'

A crew of four astronauts - including two Saudis - joined seven others aboard the International Space Station on Monday (May 22), after their SpaceX capsule docked with the orbiting ISS on the second all-private Axiom mission.

The AX-2 mission is commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and carries paying customers pilot John Shoffner, and mission specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, representing Saudi Arabia.

The Dragon capsule departed from the Kennedy Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sunday atop a Falcon rocket, transporting the crew members for a weeklong stay at the ISS.

Barnawi, a scientist specializing in cancer stem-cell research, is Saudi Arabia's first woman astronaut to head to the ISS where she will focus on advancing breast cancer research.

"We are here gathering with different cultures and and with this international collaboration. This shows how space brings everyone together," Barnawi said during a welcoming ceremony hosted by ISS Commander Sergey Prokopyev, who noted that Whitson is the most experienced U.S. astronaut.

Speaking to the other astronauts, Ali AlQarni said he was looking forward to "shar[ing] your expertise and learn[ing] from you."

This is Axiom's second private mission in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX. In April last year, SpaceX blasted off the first all-private astronaut team ever launched to the ISS, a flight hailed by industry executives and NASA as a milestone in the commercialization of low-Earth orbit.

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#nasa #space #axiom

[michaelklingenberg]

Poor girl...her boyfriend told her "we just need some space" and she really took it literally 😢

[BonyFingers]

Wonderful to see this happen, Congratulations to all the new astronauts, and nice that SpaceX is becoming a major player in the space travel industry.

[Mike_]

The moment you realise your Sat Nav is having a laugh at you and you reach your Deep Space destination

[simonbird]

It doesn’t bring Ukraine & Russia together does it! Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦❤️‍🩹🇺🇦

[HewittLaneKane]

International Space station is with Irosa

[SueUTube]

Who will pick up the Saudi lady and drive her home when she gets back to Saudi Arabia?

[andreweadon-dale]

Ai can make some very realistic films now.
I can't believe how many have wasted there lives watching or believing nasa.

[facitenonvictimarum]

Space? The so called space station is 240 miles from Earth! ... about the distance between Los Angeles and Las Vegas; or Chicago and St Louis; or Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. If the Earth were the size of an onion the station would be in the onion skin. The gravity there is 90% of the gravity on the surface of Earth. An alien from another planet would laugh his little green azz off -- *_space_* hahaha...

[democracy]

What's the profit? Or just wasting taxes 😂