Axiom-2 ondeck: Historic mission set to launch tomorrow with unprecedented RTLS landing

SpaceX is set to launch its second crewed mission for Axiom Space tomorrow afternoon on a Falcon 9 rocket. This mission will feature a unique Return To Landing Site landing at LZ-1 for the first stage, a first for a crewed mission.

Axiom is pushing forward with second ISS mission

Axiom-2 will be the second private astronaut mission for the International Space Station and will be commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who now serves as Axiom’s Director of Human Spaceflight. Having a former NASA astronaut is required by the space agency for these sorts of private missions, and Whitson has to be one of the best to have with you. For Axiom-1, the commander was Michael López-Alegría, who retired from NASA in 2012 and is Axiom’s Chief Astronaut.

Axiom-2 Crew

• Peggy Whitson – Commander
• John Shoffner – Pilot
• Ali Alqarni – Mission Specialist
• Rayyanah Barnawi – Mission Specialist

During her 22 years at NASA, Whitson flew to space three times, commanded the ISS twice, and performed over 60 hours of EVAs. In total, Whitson has spent just shy of 666 days in space, the most of any other woman and any other NASA astronaut.

To pilot Axiom’s mission will be John Shoffner, a telecommunications entrepreneur and experienced private pilot with over 8,500 flight hours in many different types of aircraft. Shoffner will use his time in space to promote STEM education in schools with several radio and photography projects planned.

The final two members of Axiom-2’s crew will be two astronauts from Saudi Arabia. Both will be the first astronauts from Saudi Arabia to visit the ISS, with Barnawi becoming the first Saudi female astronaut. Barnawi will work on conducting medical research while in space as she has a background in cancer stem cells. No details have been given regarding what Algarni, a Saudi fighter pilot, will spend his time on while on the station.

SpaceX will perform the first of its find RTLS

Seeing Falcon 9 boosters land themselves is not new, and it’s more of a shock when they don’t do it nowadays. However, RTLS landings are always special; this is where the Falcon 9 booster flips around and flies back to land on a ground pad rather than a droneship. And tomorrow’s mission will feature one, a first for any crewed mission.

Thanks to the high number of launches SpaceX has been performing, the company will fly an optimized flight that will allow the first stage to be landed back on land. Usually, crewed missions, per their weight and flight profile, require the first stage to land at sea on one of SpaceX’s drone ships, so tomorrow will be a first.

Coverage of Axiom-2 will begin on NASA TV at 4:30 p.m. ET with a lift-off of 5:37 p.m. ET from LC-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Coverage will also be shared on Axiom and SpaceX’s YouTube channels.