The Axiom Space Mission 1 takes commercial crew to the ISS

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Friday morning, the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is slated to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida

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The four-person crew comprising the Axiom Space Mission 1 (Ax-1) will fly to the ISS aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

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Private citizens, or "space tourists," have traveled to the ISS before, alongside government-affiliated astronauts. This mission, however, is different

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The entirely private crew will spend eight days living and working aboard the ISS -- they are far from "tourists."

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The mission represents a huge milestone for NASA and its private partners as they seek to build a sustainable space economy.

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The crew will be led by Commander Michael López-Alegría, who was born in Spain, raised in California, and spent 20 years as a NASA astronaut.

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