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4 astronauts blast off from KSC on private Axiom Space mission to the ISS

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — Another four humans left Earth on Sunday evening, hitching a ride aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon for the launch of Axiom Space’s private mission to the International Space Station.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 5:37 p.m. from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A bound for the ISS, bringing the Ax-2 crew of former NASA astronaut and now Axiom Space employee Peggy Whitson acting as commander, private customer and aviator John Shoffner as pilot, and a pair of Saudi Space Commission astronauts, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni.

“Thanks for putting your trust in the Falcon 9 team. Hope you enjoyed the ride to space,” said SpaceX’s William Gerstenmaier, who formerly was NASA’s chief of human spaceflight. “Have a great trip on Dragon. Welcome home to zero G Peggy.”

Whitson, who has flown to space three times previously, replied, “It was a phenomenal ride.”

SpaceX was able to once again recover its first-stage booster from the launch. This time it landed at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1, a first for one of SpaceX’s  crewed flights. As it came in for a touchdown, it arrived with a signature sonic boom that was heard across the Space Coast.

The astronauts’ day began when they woke up at KSC at 9:37 a.m. They made their way to SpaceX’s crew facilities after 1 p.m. and did their walkout and ride to the launch pad after 2 p.m. Despite the threat of storm clouds creeping toward KSC, the rocket lift offed without a hitch.

Crew Dragon will next spend about 15 hours cruising toward a scheduled docking with the ISS at 9:30 a.m. Monday.

The Ax-2 crew will increase the space station’s population from seven to 11 for their short stay. The launch is only the second with humans from the U.S. this year following March’s Crew-6 flight, the astronauts of which are currently on board the ISS awaiting Ax-2’s arrival.

Whitson has already spent 665 days in space during her NASA career, an American record that will now grow by what’s planned to be a 10-day mission with eight aboard the ISS.

“I have shared a long long list of what we’re going to do, what we’re not going to do, how we’re going to do things, you know, the whys behind all of those because there’s so many lessons learned after being up in space first,” Whitson said. “I’ve got one or two lessons I’ve maybe learned the hard way. And I’m trying to save them some time because our mission is relatively short. So we want to make sure we get the most out of every one of those days.”

Whitson and Shoffner acted as backup crew for the Ax-1 mission.

“I feel like I’ve been preparing this my entire life,” Shoffner said. “I’ve been a fan of space since I was a child. I grew up in the age of the early space race. So getting here now and having a chance to fulfill that excitement is very, very powerful to me.”

Barnawi, a science researcher, became the first Saudi woman in space. She and AlQarni, who was a pilot with the Royal Saudi Air Force, will be the first Saudis to visit the ISS.

The Ax-2 quartet will be taking part in more than 20 science and technology experiments as well as media outreach while in orbit.

“These experiments range from human physiology, technology, cell biology, and most importantly … the outreach,” Barnawi said. “So one of the goals for this mission, at least for me and Ali, and John and Peggy, is to do these outreach events for the kids and try to elaborate on the fact that we are here as STEM educators.

“So for the kids to be attached to math and science, technology, to know that they can do more, and they can trust themselves is actually one of the goals of this mission.”

The two Saudis were chosen among hundreds of applicants for this primary crew.

“For me as a fighter pilot, I’ve always had the passion of exploring the unknown and just admiring what’s in the sky and the stars,” AlQarni said. “So it was a great opportunity for me to pursue this kind of passion that I have and now maybe just to fly among the stars.”

rtribou@orlandosentinel.com