Private Crew Launches to International Space Station Aboard SpaceX Mission AX-3

Axiom Space, in partnership with SpaceX, has launched its third all-private crew mission to the International Space Station, with a US-Spanish dual citizen commanding a crew of Italian, Swedish, and Turkish astronauts. The mission, called Ax-3, aims to conduct scientific experiments and marks the first time the European Space Agency has flown one of its astronauts to orbit with a commercial company. Axiom's goal is to build a fully commercial space station in low-Earth orbit by the end of the decade, and the company views flying government-backed astronauts as a lucrative market, in addition to private space tourists.