Axiom Space Mission 2

Peggy Whitson

• Birthday: 02/09/1960
• Role: Commander
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 06/05/2002
• Last Flight: 05/21/2023

Peggy Annette Whitson is an American biochemistry researcher, retired NASA astronaut, and former NASA Chief Astronaut. Her first space mission was in 2002, with an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 5. Her second mission launched October 10, 2007, as the first female commander of the ISS with Expedition 16. She was on her third long-duration space flight and was the commander of the International Space Station for Expedition 51, before handing over command to Fyodor Yurchikhin on June 1, 2017.

John Shoffner

• Birthday: 07/27/1955
• Role: Pilot
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 05/21/2023
• Last Flight: 05/21/2023

John Shoffner is an American space tourist. He is according to Axiom Space a pilot, champion GT racer, and active supporter of life science research from Knoxville, Tennessee.

Before creating his own motorsports team J2-Racing with his wife Janine, Shoffner was a businessman. He had a 21-year career in Kentucky-based telecommunications manufacturer Dura-Line. He retired as president in 1996.

In May 2021, he paid for a seat on Axiom Mission 2, the second entirely-private crew mission to the International Space Station. Shoffner served as the pilot of the Crew Dragon crew vehicle, which launched on May 21, 2023.

Ali AlQarni

• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: Saudi
• First Flight: 05/21/2023
• Last Flight: 05/21/2023

Ali AlQarni is an astronaut representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and serving as a mission specialist on the Ax-2 mission. AlQarni graduated with a Bachelor of Aerospace Science from King Faisal Air Academy. AlQarni is an Air Force captain and fighter pilot. He has 12 years of experience flying fighter aircrafts and 2,387 flight hours.

Rayyanah Barnawi

• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: Saudi
• First Flight: 05/21/2023
• Last Flight: 05/21/2023

Rayyanah Barnawi is an astronaut representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and serving as a mission specialist on the Ax-2 mission. Barnawi has a Master of Biomedical Sciences from Alfaisal University and a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences from Otago University. Barnawi is a research laboratory technician with nine years of experience in breast cancer and cancer stem-cell research.

Axiom Space Mission 2

• Type: Human Exploration
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
• Launch Cost: $52,000,000

This is a Crew Dragon flight for a private company Axiom Space. The mission will carry a professionally trained commander alongside three private astronauts to and from the International Space Station. This crew will stay aboard space station for at least eight days.

Launch Complex 39A

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39A has witnessed the launch of 175 rockets, including 174 orbital launch attempts, while Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA, has been the site for 233 rocket launches.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

Core B1080

Booster B1080 last launched 03/21/2024 and has seen 6 successful launches and landings. Falcon 9 Block 5 booster first used for the Axiom Space Mission 2 Crew Dragon mission.

Landing Zone 1 – LZ-1

LZ-1 Pad located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at the previous LC-13

Return to Launch Site – RTLS

A return to launch site usually means that after stage separation the booster flips and does a burn back towards the launch site, landing near where it initially launched from.

SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.