Astronauts on Ax-1, the first fully private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), will have to wait a few more days to return home. According to the original schedule, the crew was to spend 10 days in the orbital laboratory, but plans have changed.
NASA announced that space travelers will leave the ISS Tuesday morning (19) and land Wednesday morning (20) off the coast of Florida, USA.
With the return delay, the crew will now spend around 12 days in orbit. AX-1 astronauts launched into space on April 8 aboard a Crew Dragon capsule atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría is the mission commander, which also includes Canadian philanthropist Mark Pathy, as well as Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe and businessman and pilot Larry Connor.
Astronauts want to go beyond the ISS
Last week, the astronauts of Ax-1 took part in an online children’s show promoted by the Houston Space Center in Texas, United States.
When a student asked if private space travelers would like to take a trip to the moon, Larry Connor was quick to respond. “The short answer is: we are all in! We really talked regarding it and we were like ‘hey, would you come back if there was an opportunity to go to the moon?’ There was a resounding yes. So please let the NASA folks know that the Ax-1 crew is on site,” he joked.
The crew also answered many of the usual questions astronauts receive during in-flight events. “We eat most of the same things we eat at home, but rehydrated or packaged to minimize damage,” Pathy explained.
Have you watched our new videos on Youtube? Subscribe to our channel!
