Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 8 hours ago
Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) will be Axiom Space’s second all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking another pivotal step toward Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station and successor to the ISS.
The Ax-2 crew is currently scheduled to launch no earlier than May 21, 2023. The four-person Axiom Space crew will fly to space in SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft atop its Falcon 9 rocket to participate in the mission, including working and living on the orbiting laboratory to implement a full manifest of science, outreach, and commercial activities.
Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, and ISS commander, will lead the mission. Aviator John Shoffner of Knoxville, Tennessee, will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Axiom Space’s Ax-2 mission continues to progress toward the Axiom Station and a sustainable low-Earth orbit economy as humans venture farther for longer duration in space.
Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) will be Axiom Space’s second all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking another pivotal step toward Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station and successor to the ISS.
The Ax-2 crew is currently scheduled to launch no earlier than May 21, 2023. The four-person Axiom Space crew will fly to space in SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft atop its Falcon 9 rocket to participate in the mission, including working and living on the orbiting laboratory to implement a full manifest of science, outreach, and commercial activities.
Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, and ISS commander, will lead the mission. Aviator John Shoffner of Knoxville, Tennessee, will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Axiom Space’s Ax-2 mission continues to progress toward the Axiom Station and a sustainable low-Earth orbit economy as humans venture farther for longer duration in space.
