Ax-2 Mission Launch Set for May 21
The Ax-2 mission, the second launch of an all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by Axiom Space, is set for May 21 from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The Ax-2 mission will send four private astronauts to the space station along with more than 20 payloads sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory that will be performed during the space expedition aboard the orbiting outpost. These investigations span diverse disciplines, from life sciences to biomanufacturing, materials science, technology demonstrations, and education projects. This research and technology development will bring value to humanity while enabling the development of a robust and sustainable market in low Earth orbit.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-2 crew onboard a Dragon spacecraft no earlier than 5:37 p.m. EDT on May 21, 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Ax-2 mission astronauts flying on this mission include Commander and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and Pilot John Shoffner, both of the United States. They are joined by mission specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, who represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Alqarni and Barnawi are the first two representatives from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia slated to launch on a mission to the space station.
Ax-2 Mission Science Highlights
A project from the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will study the effects of microgravity on the production of stem cells and stem cell-derived products.
Two projects are from the Sanford Stem Cell Institute at the University of California San Diego. The first builds on a project flown on Ax-1 (Modeling Tumor Organoids) by expanding the research team's tumor organoid model to include triple-negative breast cancer cells.
A collaboration between the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the RegenMed Development Organization will send bioengineered liver and kidney tissue constructs to space to examine microgravity's effects on the vascularization of thick tissues.
A project from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will test a wearable system for astronauts designed to simulate some of the aspects of normal gravity.
Axiom Space is an ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider, and through this partnership, the company can offer additional access to low Earth orbit for researchers and private astronauts alike.
(Source: ISS National Lab news release. Images provided and from file)