The mission, organized entirely through commercial funding by Texas-based startup Axiom Space, marks the latest in a series of commercial ventures to the ISS.

The crew, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon vessel, autonomously docked with the ISS at 5:42 a.m. EDT over the South Pacific. The collaboration between Axiom Space and SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, facilitated the entire mission.

Once docked, the astronauts fell under the supervision of NASA's mission control in Houston. Plans for the Axiom-3 crew, led by Spanish-born retired NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, include spending approximately 14 days in microgravity, conducting over 30 scientific experiments. The focus of these experiments will be on understanding the effects of spaceflight on human health and disease.

López-Alegría, making his sixth flight to the space station, is joined by Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei, Swedish aviator Marcus Wandt, and Alper Gezeravcı, a Turkish Air Force veteran and fighter pilot – Türkiye's first human in space.

The crew's arrival at the ISS was expected to be followed by a two-hour process of pressurizing and checking the sealed passageway before hatches could be opened. They will be welcomed by the current seven-member ISS crew, consisting of representatives from NASA, Japan, Denmark, and Russia.

This mission, arranged entirely through private funding, reflects the growing trend of commercial enterprises playing a significant role in space exploration. (ILKHA)