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Lift off successful: SpaceX-Axiom Mission 2 launches four astronauts from Cape Canaveral

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The SpaceX Axiom rocket lifted off as scheduled at 5:37 pm Sunday from Kennedy Space Center.

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After the successful launch, the Space-X Axiom crew is now on its way to the International Space Station. This is the company’s first-ever trip with both private and government-sponsored astronauts.

The four-member astronaut crew includes former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, veteran pilot John Shoffner, Ali AlQarni, and Rayyanah Barnawi, who are Saudi Nationals.

Barnawai is now the first Saudi woman to ever go into space.

" Flying the first Arab woman into space is going to have a profound effect on that region of the world, " said Matt Ondler, Axiom Space Chief Technology officer.

“Once the crew reaches the space station, they will dock for eight days and perform more than 20 different experiments, “said Axiom Space Chief Science Dr. Lucie Low.

" We have a lot of Biomedical research that’s going to be making things in space for the benefit of life on Earth and research about how the human body adapts to space. Lowe added,

The A-X-1 and A-X-2 missions are precursors to Axiom’s space objective of building. its own commercial space station The First Module is expected to launch in 2025 or 2026.



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Michelle Shore, WFTV.com

Michelle Shore joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2023 as a Content Creator.