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Update for Jan. 18: SpaceX is on track to launch Axiom Space's Ax-3 mission to the International Space Station at 4:49 p.m. EST (2149 GMT) today after delaying it by a day.

Watch it live here at Space.com; coverage will begin at 2:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT) on Jan. 18.

SpaceX will launch an astronaut crew to the International Space Station Thursday (Jan. 18) on the private Ax-3 mission for Axiom Space, but if you're hoping to watch it live online, you'll need to know where and when. And for that, space fans, we've got what you need.

The Ax-3 mission, Axiom Space's third commercial spaceflight with SpaceX, will launch four astronauts to the ISS from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon spacecraft Freedom. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:49 p.m. EST (2149 GMT).

The Ax-3 mission is commanded by former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria of Axiom Space, with Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force serving as pilot. Turkey's first astronaut, Alper Gezeravc, and European Space Agency reserve astronaut Marcus Wandt round out the crew as mission specialists. Together, the four men will spend at least two weeks in space on their ISS mission. Here's how and when to watch them launch and dock at the orbiting lab.

Related: Meet the 4 astronauts of SpaceX's Ax-3 launch for Axiom Space

Currently, SpaceX aims to launch the Ax-3 astronauts into orbit on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 4:49 p.m. EST (2149 GMT) from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Current weather forecasts call for a 80% of good conditions at launch time, according to the 45th Weather Squadron of the U.S. Space Force.

SpaceX has what it calls an "instantaneous window" in which to launch the Ax-3 mission. That means if the company cannot launch at that exact time, it will have to stand down until its next opportunity in order to reach the International Space Station. SpaceX's backup launch day may be possible on Friday, Jan. 19.

SpaceX and Axiom Space initially hoped to launch the Ax-3 mission in November 2023, but the flight slipped to January 2024 and then to mid-January as weather issues delayed a series of other SpaceX flights ahead of the mission. A planned Jan. 17 launch date was delayed to allow additional systems checks, SpaceX said.

Yes, you will be able to watch SpaceX's Ax-3 astronaut launch online for free. In fact, you have a few options. Space.com will simulcast the livestream live here starting at 2:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT) and on our YouTube channel, as well.

SpaceX and Axiom Space will host their own joint webcast of the launch beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT) on Jan. 18. You can follow those webcasts at the Axiom Space YouTube channel and on the SpaceX X account (formerly Twitter).

NASA's livestream will broadcast on NASA TV and NASA+. The agency will broadcast the SpaceX/Axiom Space program at 3:45 p.m. EST (2045 GMT). NASA's launch coverage will end about 15 minutes after liftoff.

SpaceX, Axiom Space and NASA will also offer live views of the Ax-3 Dragon spacecraft's docking at the International Space Station, which is scheduled to occur on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 5:15 a.m. EST (1015 GMT).

NASA's livestream of the docking will begin at 3:30 a.m. EST (0830 GMT) and run through docking itself. At about 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT), the four Ax-3 astronauts will join the seven astronauts currently living on the International Space Station during a hatch opening ceremony.

Finally, at 7:35 a.m. EST (1235 GMT), the joint Ax-3 and station crew will host some welcome remarks before beginning their time together.

While SpaceX's launch of the Ax-3 astronauts will last just over 12 minutes from liftoff to its final event, the Axiom Space mission will last at least two weeks.

After liftoff, it should take about 2.5 minutes for the Falcon 9 rocket to reach stage separation, after which its first stage will return to Earth while the upper stage continues upward with the Dragon spacecraft. The first stage should land just under 8 minutes after liftoff at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, according to a mission description.

The Dragon capsule will separate from the Falcon 9 upper stage about 12 minutes after liftoff, deploying its nose cone to expose its docking port less than a minute later.

SpaceX had at least one backup day set up in case it cannot launch the Ax-3 astronaut mission to the International Space Station on Jan. 17 as initially planned. Now the company is using that backup day with its latest launch target. A second backup day on Jan. 19 may also be available.

If a Jan. 18 launch isn't possible, SpaceX could potentially try again on Friday , Jan. 19, depending on the nature of any delay. The company has not officially announced Jan, 19 as another backup day, however. Like with the Jan. 17 date, SpaceX is expected to have an instantaneous window for a Jan. 18 launch attempt. There is a 80% chance of good weather for launch on Jan. 18, according to the 45th Weather Squadron.

If SpaceX is still unable to launch the Ax-3 mission on Jan. 18, then its next option will likely be on Friday, Jan. 19. Weather conditions are expected to be about the same, according to Space Force officials. The main concerns that day are thick cumulus clouds and the potential for SpaceX's Falcon 9 to fly through precipitation, the Space Force said. If SpaceX opts to target a potential Jan. 20 liftoff, weather forecasts predict a 95% chance of good weather.

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What time is the SpaceX Ax-3 astronaut launch for Axiom Space? How to watch it live today - Space.com

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Freedom arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) early Saturday with four astronauts of the private Ax-3 mission aboard to begin a two-week stay on the orbiting laboratory.

Ax-3 launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday (Jan. 18), kicking off a roughly 36-hour orbital pursuit. That chase ended today (Jan. 20) at 5:42 a.m. EST (1042 GMT), when Freedom docked at the forward port on the station'sHarmony module as the two spacecraft sailed 262 miles above the South Pacific. Ax-3 is SpaceX's third private human spaceflight for the company Axiom Space, which has flown nine people to the station since since 2022.

"This is an incredibly exciting time for human spaceflight with the third private mission, which is allowing many more countries to participate in the scientific research and technology development that we do onboard this orbiting laboratory.," said Andreas Morgensen, commander of the station's seven-person Expedition 70 crew who represents the European Space Agency. "We have doubled the number of nationalities onboard the space station going from four to eight, which I think is a great testament to the international collaboration which underpins this marvelous space station."

Related: Live updates from the Ax-3 private astronaut mission

Ax-3 carries Axiom's first all-European crew, including the first astronaut from the nation of Turkey, mission specialist Alper Gezeravc. He is joined by Ax-3 mission commander and former NASA astronaut Michael "L.A." Lpez-Alegra (who has dual U.S. and Spanish citizenship), mission pilot and Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei, and mission specialist Marcus Wandt of the European Space Agency, who hails from Sweden.

The four men are joining a truly international crew on the ISS, which includes Morgensen (of Denmark), NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara of the U.S., Japan's Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub. The hatches between the ISS and the Freedom capsule opened at 7:13 a.m. EST (1213 GMT), allowing the Ax-3 quartet to float aboard the orbiting lab.

"This is really a symbol of how axiom in conjunction with NASA and other partners is working to expand human access to low Earth orbit," Lopez-Alegria said during a televised welcome ceremony on the ISS. "We've got, as Andy said, so many nationalities represented on board and this is really symbolic of what we're trying to do to open it up not only to other nations, also to individuals to researchers to continue the great work that's been going on onboard the ISS for the last two decades plus."

Lopez-Alegria, a former ISS commander who flew on three NASA shuttle flights, presented his three Ax-3 crewmates with Universal Astronaut Pins to mark their spaceflight feat. While the flight is the first for Gezeravc and Wandt, Villadei has flown on a suborbital flight aboard Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Unity, though it is his first trip to orbit.

While aboard, Ax-3 crewmembers will live and work alongside the station's current residents, performing experiments for a variety of research investigations. Much of the science included on Axiom's first two crewed missions focused on human spaceflight and habitability in microgravity environments, and this latest mission continues that trend.

"I would like to thank for everybody for their great effort for us to be able to make it over here, in the last eight months training period as well as all the counterparts for their contribution for our safe travels," Gezeravc said. "To make it over to ISS, we are happy as Turkey to [take this] step for the first time in our history."

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Ax-3 research includes robotics experiments with high-strength alloys, with implications for in-space construction and assemblies; an experiment from Turkey called Vokalkord, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to diagnose several dozen diseases by analyzing a cough or someone's speech; and many other investigations into physics, biology and microgravity.

The Ax-3 crew are scheduled to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbital laboratory, after which the astronauts and their SpaceX capsule will depart the ISS and come back to Earth with a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida.

"I want to thank all of you guys again for welcoming us aboard," Lopez-Alegria told the ISS crew. "I know that it's tough to have guests in your house and we promise not to spill any red wine on your white carpet."

Editor's note: This story was updated on Jan. 20 to include the successful docking and welcome ceremony of the four Ax-3 astronauts to the International Space Station.

Original post:

Watch SpaceX's Ax-3 astronaut mission arrive at ISS early Jan. 20 - Yahoo News

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the companys Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A ahead of Axiom Mission 3 launch. Credit: SpaceX

As part of NASAs efforts to open access to space, SpaceX and Axiom Space now are targeting no earlier than 4:49 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 18, for launch of the third private mission to the International Space Station. The date adjustment for Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) allows additional time for SpaceX to complete data analysis of the parachute system energy modulatorthe straps that connect the Dragon spacecrafts parachute bag to the parachute door.

Following Dragons return on its 29th commercial resupply services mission to station, SpaceX observed some of the stitches didnt pull through in the expected manner. While there is built-in margin through multiple energy modulators, SpaceX felt it was prudent to evaluate recent test data and this condition has been corrected on Ax-3. These straps are folded and stitched together such that when they pull apart, the connecting stitches intentionally break, allowing the straps to pull apart at a constant force. This regulates the amount of load applied to the main parachutes, which takes place as the parachute door and drogues extract the mains out of the spacecraft during the handoff from drogues to mains.

SpaceX proactively wanted to inspect the energy modulators on the Ax-3 parachutes and the team removed the parachute door this past week, inspected the energy modulators, correct alignment of the modulators, and then re-installed the doors.

SpaceX and NASA continue to work together on future flight hardware procedures.

For more information, listen to a replay of the Axiom Mission 3 prelaunch news conference.

Aboard the space station, the first wild-type tomatoes from Plant Habitat-06 were harvested aboard the orbital lab today by NASA Flight Engineer Loral OHara. Part of an ongoing suite of experiments, this specific investigation takes a look at the physiological and genetic responses to defense activation and immune function in tomatoes during spaceflight.

While space botany was underway, two crew members conducted fluid research with the Plant Water Management 5 system. In the morning, NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli prepped fluids and primed the facility after installing it yesterday. Moghbeli also tested the hydroponic flow of the system. ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen later took over, spot checking the fluidic test cell. Mogensen also completed a VR Mental Care session, which demonstrates the use of virtual reality for mental relaxation.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa was tasked with a suite of maintenance activities throughout the day. He performed tech troubleshooting in the morning, then set up the Internal Ball Camera in the Kibo Laboratory. Afterward, he analyzed water samples from the water processor assembly before cleaning air quality monitor vents. His day wrapped with some routine orbital plumbing.

Maintenance and research were at the forefront of Wednesdays schedule for the Roscosmos trio. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov replaced dust collector filters in the Zarya module, then inspected the thermal control system pump panel that was installed yesterday. Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko conducted additional maintenance in the Zvezda service module, then moved on to record vibrations of structural elements in the Poisk module. To wrap up the day, Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub completed an experiment that investigates liquid phases in microgravity.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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Ax-3 Launch Date Adjusted; Crew Harvests Plants and Conducts Fluid Research - NASA Blogs

Update for Jan. 17: SpaceX announced that the launch of Axiom Space's Ax-3 mission to the International Space Station has been delayed by a day, to 4:49 p.m. EST (2149 GMT) on Thursday (Jan. 18). Watch it live here at Space.com; coverage will begin at 2:30 p.m. EST (1845 GMT) on Jan. 18.

Houston-based Axiom Space is poised for the company's third private astronaut launch to space. Ax-3 will carry a four-person, all-European crew on a roughly two-week mission to conduct research aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The quartet includes Ax-3 mission commander and former NASA astronaut Michael "LA" Lpez-Alegra, mission specialist Walter Villadei, who also flew aboard Virgin Galactic's Galactic 01 suborbital spaceflight as VIRTUTE 1 mission commander last summer, Turkey's soon-to-be first astronaut, Alper Gezeravc and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut reserve member Marcus Wandt.

The Ax-3 crew will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the early evening, Wednesday, Jan. 17, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida. After about 36 hours aboard their SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, the crew will dock with the ISS early Friday morning, Jan. 19, if all goes according to plan.

The Ax-3 crew is scheduled to spend 14 days aboard the ISS, following their arrival on Friday, Jan. 19. Barring any weather delays, like the ones that prolonged the return of Ax-1, the four-person crew is scheduled to return after two weeks' time aboard their Crew Dragon capsule, parachuting back to Earth for a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

Live updates: Axiom Space Ax-3 private spaceflight with SpaceX: Live updates Photos: The first space tourists

Former NASA astronaut Michael "L.A." Lpez-Alegra is no stranger to spaceflight. Ax-3 will be his sixth launch to the ISS, and he has no plans of quitting anytime soon. "It's a dream come true for me," L.A. told reporters during a Jan. 11 crew teleconference, "I will gladly continue to fly as long as the soul is willing, and as long as the body is willing to do so."

L.A. was born in Madrid, and came to the U.S. with his parents as a young child. Combined, he has more than 40 years of aviation and spaceflight experience, which includes three Space Shuttle launches and a Soyuz launch. He was inducted into NASA's Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2020, and currently holds the space agency's record for cumulative time spent on space walks, or extravehicular activities (EVAs). L.A. now works as Axiom's chief astronaut.

Lpez-Alegra flew as mission commander for Ax-1, and is proud to be reprising that role for Ax-3, he said during Thursday's call.

"I'm very proud and pleased to be leading this mission to the International Space Station, which is important not just for the scientific research and technology demonstrations and outreach events that we'll do, but also it's a very important step toward the goal of Axiom space to have a commercial space station in orbit before the decade is out."

Axiom Space is constructing its own habitation module to berth to the ISS, which it plans to build out and eventually detach to become its own private space station. Throughout development, crews from each of the company's commercially-funded missions to the ISS work, in part, toward helping Axiom reach that goal.

This also isn't the first spaceflight for Ax-3 mission pilot Col. Walter Villadei. Villadei hails from Rome, Italy, and serves as a colonel in the Italian Air Force (ItAF). His background includes extensive military flight experience with the ItAF, as well as assignments in the space sector, which sent him to Star City, Russia, to with the Russian space agency (Roscosmos) as a Soyuz flight engineer.

Currently, Villadei works as the head of ItAF's representative office in the U.S., overseeing commercial spaceflight initiatives.

He flew on a sub-orbital flight to space with Virgin Galactic in June 2023, where he served as VIRTUTE-1 mission commander. At the time, he said that flight would help prepare him for upcoming, longer spaceflights.

"This mission is very important for Italy," Villadei said during the Jan. 11 briefing, calling Ax-3 a "fundamental step" in Italy's national space strategy. "It's a big opportunity for bringing industries of the scientific community and institutions into this new chapter for space exploration."

Alper Gezeravc will fly as Turkey's first astronaut. The Ax-3 mission specialist holds degrees from the Air Force Academy in Istanbul, and the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Ohio, and has 15 years experience flying as a fighter pilot for the Turkish Air Force.

On Thursday's call, Gezeravc acknowledged the significance of his country sending someone to space, but said he doesn't want that fact to overshadow the mission's contribution to the global scientific community.

"I'm representing my beautiful country, Turkey, as the first person to go to space," Gezeravc said, "however, this mission is not only focused on the first manned mission, but it's also representing a lot of scientific missions that we are intending to contribute in the science world."

Like Axiom's previous missions, much of the research conducted by the Ax-3 crew will focus on the effects of long-term spaceflight and the effects of microgravity on the human body, with an emphasis on how that research can have beneficial applications down on Earth. Turkey's Vokalkord experiment, for example, is developing artificial intelligence to detect disease through analyzing audio of people speaking and coughing.

Another fighter pilot, Marcus Wandt has more than 20 years experience in the air, serving in the Swedish Air Force. From fighter pilot, Wandt worked his way up to the role of chief test pilot, and eventually founded his own company to give tactical training to other pilots.

Now, Wandt is a lieutenant colonel in the Swedish Air Force and a member of ESA's astronaut reserve, and will be the second person from Sweden to fly to the ISS. For Ax-3, he will serve as a mission specialist.

"The decisiveness of how Sweden came together with ESA and Axiom, and all the support from NASA and SpaceX to make this happen is fantastic," Wandt said during the Ax-3 crew teleconference.

"I'm so proud to be in the center of that, and being a part of pioneering a new way for Europe to gain access to space and to increase the frequency ... of not only European presence but also European science, and the benefit for what we can do here on Earth that brings everyone forward."

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Meet the 4 astronauts of SpaceX's Ax-3 launch for Axiom Space - Space.com

SpaceX's giant Starship rocket apparently performed better on its second-ever test flight than its explosive end would suggest.

The mission launched from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas on Nov. 18 of last year. It ended about eight minutes after liftoff, when Starship's upper-stage spacecraft (called, somewhat confusingly, Starship), detonated high in the Texas sky.

But the vehicle was performing quite well until that point,and likely would have continued on that successful path had it been a normal, operational flight, according to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk.

"So, Flight 2 actually almost made it to orbit," Musk said in a recent company update, which SpaceX posted on X on Jan. 12. The explosion was caused by a venting of liquid oxygen, he added and there was liquid oxygen left to vent only because Starship wasn't hauling any satellites that day.

"We normally wouldn't have that liquid oxygen if we had a payload," Musk said in the update, which he gave at Starbase to a crowd of SpaceX employees. "So, ironically, if it had had a payload, it would have reached orbit."

Related:See stunning photos and video of Starship's 2nd launch

SpaceX is developing Starship to help humanity settle Mars and achieve other bold exploration feats. The vehicle consists of a first-stage booster called Super Heavy and the Starship upper stage, which is about 165 feet (50 meters) tall. Both of these elements are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable.

SpaceX has launched two Starship test flights to date, both of them from Starbase. The first, which lifted off on April 20 of last year, ended about four minutes into flight with a controlled detonation. SpaceX ordered that explosion because Starship suffered several serious problems, most notably the failure of its two stages to separate.

The Nov. 18 flight went much more smoothly, as Musk noted, giving him optimism for future missions.

"I think we've got a really good shot of reaching orbit with Flight 3, and then a rapid cadence to achieve full and rapid reusability," he said in the recent update. SpaceX plans to launch Flight 3 next month, provided the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issues a license in time. (The FAA is currently overseeing an investigation into what happened on Flight 2.)

Musk hopes this anticipated rapid development leads to an operational capability soon; he said SpaceX aims to start launching its big, next-generation Starlink internet satellites aboard Starship by the end of the year.

NASA wants to see Starship get up and running soon as well; the agency selected the vehicle to be the first crewed lander for its Artemis program of moon exploration. Starship will put astronauts down on the lunar surface for the first time on the Artemis 3 mission, which is currently targeted to launch in September 2026.

Starship is already the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. It stands about 400 feet (122 meters) tall and generates 16.7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff nearly twice as much thrust as NASA'sSpace Launch Systemmegarocket, a core part of the Artemis program.

But the current Starship is just a prototype. The final, operational version will be even bigger, Musk said in the recent update.

SpaceX is working on "a sort of a Version 2 ship that will be more reliable, better performance, [with better] endurance," he said. "We've got a Version 3 ship design that will stretch, that will be even taller probably end up being, I don't know, 140 meters [459 feet] before it's all said and done, maybe 150 [492 feet] in the end, in length."

"So, it'll be even taller than it currently is," Musk added with a chuckle.

Editor's note: This story was corrected at 8:50 a.m. ET on Jan. 17 to state that Starship produces 16.7 million pounds, not tons, of thrust at liftoff.

Read more here:

'If it had had a payload, it would have made it to orbit.' Elon Musk reveals cause of Starship explosion (video) - Space.com