Space

On Thursday, a SpaceX rocket launched to the International Space Station carrying four passengers, including a Swede, an Italian, and the first Turkish man to ascend into space, as part of the third special mission of its kind.

The launch took place as planned at 4:49 pm (local time) from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission, called the Axiom 3 mission (Ax-3), is the third organized by the American company Axiom Space.

The passengers, who have been training for months, are expected to spend about two weeks on the International Space Station, where they are scheduled to arrive on Saturday. They then plan to conduct a series of scientific experiments there.

After allowing wealthy clients to realize their dreams in space, Axiom Space now also accepts individuals sponsored by national agencies.

This mission thus reveals the growing role of the private sector in supporting the space ambitions of countries that do not have their own human spaceflight programme.

“Code”

The Ax-2 mission had already allowed two Saudis, with support from their government, to remain on the International Space Station.

Among the crew this time: Alper Gezeravci, the fighter pilot who became the first Turk to cross the final border.

“We view this mission as a symbol of an increasingly strong and determined Turkey,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this week, wishing Colonel Gezeravci “good luck.”

Also on board is Swede Markus Wandt, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA).

His role as a “project astronaut” at ESA allows him to participate in short-term missions, via a fixed-term contract, unlike full-time astronauts, the European agency said.

“I want to thank ESA for its boldness and vision, and for leading the way, together with Sweden and Axiom Space, to strengthen Europe's presence in space,” Markus Wandt wrote on Twitter.

The crew is completed by Italian Walter Velade, a member of his country's air force. The man once flew on a Virgin Galactic ship, but the space flight only lasted a few minutes.

Finally, the mission commander will be Spaniard and American Michael Lopez Alegría, a former NASA astronaut, who will be employed by Axiom Space to support the three customers.

A private resort in the future

They will join seven people already on board the flight laboratory: two American astronauts, a Danish astronaut, a Japanese astronaut, and three Russian astronauts.

Details of the various contracts, including the prices paid to Axiom Space per seat, have not been announced.

These special missions are being carried out in partnership with NASA, which commissions Axiom Space to use the station.

For the company, these missions are a first step before building its own space station.

It is a program encouraged by NASA, which plans to retire the International Space Station around 2030 and then send its astronauts to private stations.