SpaceX AX-1 Launch

[ORAC]

Thought about putting it in the main SpaceX thread, or the ISS, but as the first pure commercial flight to the ISS it should have its own.

https://www.space.com/spacex-axiom-a...eady-to-launch

Private Ax-1 astronauts ready to launch on SpaceX rocket tomorrow

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — The first all-private crewed mission to the International Space Station is ready to fly, mission leaders announced today (April 7).

Tomorrow (April 8), a crew of four, led by a former NASA astronaut, is set to launch on a 10-day mission to the space station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Their mission is Ax-1, the first crewed flight for Texas-based aerospace company Axiom Space…..

Ax-1 is set to launch at 11:17 a.m. EDT (1517 GMT) from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center here on Florida's Space Coast. You can watch live here at Space.com or directly via SpaceX's YouTube page(opens in new tab); the live broadcast will begin at about 7:55 a.m. EDT (1155 GMT).

[treadigraph]

Ah, a quick look found them just arriving safely in orbit!

[Tango and Cash]

Watched it live,* the ability to get live shots from cameras on the rocket is just amazing. SpaceX has made landing the boosters look almost routine, although I hold my breath every time.

*I have two things for which I will never be too busy at work: a helicopter ride or a space launch.