SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Freedom Arrives at International Space Station with Ax-3 Astronauts

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Title: SpaceX’s Crew Dragon “Freedom” Docks Up ‘n Away at ISS wit’ Private Ax-3 Crew! 🚀🌌 Aloha, braddahs an’ sistahs! Today, we talkin’ ’bout some outta dis world stuff, da SpaceX Crew Dragon “Freedom” touchdown at da International Space Station (ISS) early Saturday! Dem got four astronauts from da private Ax-3 mission onboard, ready fo’ a two-week vacation in dis orbiting laboratory. Da Ax-3 mission, dat launched on top of one SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket dis past Thursday (Jan. 18), wen’ on one wild ride, takin’ ’bout 36 hours fo’ da chase to end today (Jan. 20) at 5:42 a.m. EST (1042 GMT). Da Freedom capsule made its grand entrance, dockin’ at da front port on da station’s Harmony module, while da two spacecraft was cruisin’ ’bout 262 miles above da South Pacific. Dis here Ax-3 action be SpaceX’s third go at private human spaceflight for Axiom Space, an’ dey already wen’ fly nine folks to da ISS since way back in 2022, bruddahs an’ sistahs. Andreas Morgensen, da commander of da seven-person Expedition 70 crew, representin’ da European Space Agency, said, “Dis is an incredibly exciting time fo’ human spaceflight wit’ da third private mission, which is allowing many more countries to participate in da scientific research and technology development dat we do onboard dis orbiting laboratory. We have doubled da number of nationalities onboard da space station goin’ from four to eight, which I think is one great testament to da international collaboration which underpins dis marvelous space station.” Dis Ax-3 crew bringin’ da diversity, folks, and dey ain’t foolin’ around! We talkin’ ’bout Axiom’s first all-European crew, includin’ da first astronaut from Turkey, Alper Gezeravcı. He hangin’ out wit’ da Ax-3 mission commander and former NASA astronaut Michael “L.A.” López-Alegría, who got citizenship both from da U.S. an’ Spain. We also get mission pilot Walter Villadei from da Italian Air Force an’ mission specialist Marcus Wandt from da European Space Agency, reppin’ Sweden. Dis party don’t stop here, oh no! Da ISS got one whole bunch of peeps chillin’ up there, includin’ Morgensen from Denmark, NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara from da U.S., Satoshi Furukawa from Japan, an’ da Russian cosmonaut trio Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub. Dey all be livin’ in harmony up there, floatin’ around like it’s a big cosmic luau. When da time was right, da hatches opened between da ISS an’ da Freedom capsule at 7:13 a.m. EST (1213 GMT). Ax-3 crew slid in, ready to join da celestial bash! López-Alegría spoke some wise words durin’ one televised welcome ceremony on da ISS. He said, “Dis is really one symbol of how Axiom, wit’ NASA an’ other partners, stay workin’ to expand human access to low Earth orbit. We’ve got, as Andy said, so many nationalities represented on board, an’ dis 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 da great work dat’s been going on onboard da ISS fo’ da last two decades plus.” Dis ain’t just a space ride, bruddahs an’ sistahs, it’s a journey of cultural exchange and discovery up dere in da great beyond. López-Alegría, one former ISS commander who wen’ on three NASA shuttle flights, handed out some Universal Astronaut Pins to his three Ax-3 crewmates. Dis be one big deal for Gezeravcı and Wandt, while Villadei had one taste of suborbital flight wit’ Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Unity, but dis be his first time chillin’ up dere in orbit. While dey up in dat space pad, da Ax-3 crew goin’ grind, yeah? Dey goin’ live an’ work wit’ da station’s current residents, doin’ experiments fo’ all kinds of research. Plenty of dat science focus on human spaceflight an’ what it’s like to live up in dat microgravity world. Dey ain’t messin’ around! Gezeravcı, one mission specialist from Turkey, took a moment to say thanks. He said, “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. To make it over to ISS, we are happy as Turkey to [take this] step for the first time in our history.” Ax-3 mission got some cool research, like robotics experiments wit’ high-strength alloys, thinkin’ ’bout in-space construction and assemblies. Dey even got one experiment from Turkey called Vokalkord, usin’ artificial intelligence algorithms to diagnose all kinds of diseases just by listenin’ to someone’s cough or talkin’. Dat’s some space-age medicine, bruddahs an’ sistahs! But wait, da party ain’t over yet. Da Ax-3 crew gonna stay up dere for ’bout 14 days, enjoyin’ da cosmic vibes, and when it’s time to leave da ISS, dey gonna hop back in dat SpaceX capsule an’ float back down to Earth wit’ one parachute-assisted splashdown off da coast of Florida. It’s like one big splashdown luau, if you ask me! López-Alegría wrapped tings up wit’ one final message to da ISS crew. He said, “I want to thank all of you guys again for welcoming us aboard. I know dat it’s tough to have guests in your house and we promise not to spill any red wine on your white carpet.” And dat’s a wrap, braddahs an’ sistahs! Da Ax-3 mission is in full swing, and da ISS is rockin’ wit’ diversity and international cooperation. Stay tuned for more cosmic updates and keep ridin’ da space wave! 🚀🌌 Editor’s note: Dis story was updated on Jan. 20 to include da successful docking an’ welcome ceremony of da four Ax-3 astronauts to da International Space Station. 🌟 Stay connected to da cosmos, folks! If you get any space news tips or wanna talk story ’bout da stars, let us know at: community@space.com. Breaking space news, da latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events, and more await you! 🌠 Josh Dinner, da Space.com Content Manager, stay on da space beat since 2016, sharin’ da evolution of NASA’s commercial spaceflight partnerships, from early Dragon and Cygnus cargo missions to da ongoing development and launches of crewed missions from da Space Coast. He also enjoys buildin’ 1:144 scale models of rockets and human-flown spacecraft. 🌌🚀

NOW IN ENGLISH

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Freedom Arrives at International Space Station with Ax-3 Astronauts

Title: SpaceX’s Crew Dragon “Freedom” Docks at ISS with Private Ax-3 Crew! Hello, brothers and sisters! Today, we are discussing some extraordinary events as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon “Freedom” successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) early on Saturday. The spacecraft carried four astronauts from the private Ax-3 mission, all set for a two-week stay in this orbiting laboratory. The Ax-3 mission, which launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket last Thursday (January 18th), embarked on an exciting journey. It took approximately 36 hours to reach its destination, docking with the ISS on January 20th at 5:42 a.m. EST (1042 GMT). The Freedom capsule made a spectacular entrance, attaching itself to the front port of the station’s Harmony module while both spacecraft were cruising about 262 miles above the South Pacific. This mission marked SpaceX’s third venture into private human spaceflight for Axiom Space, and they have already sent nine individuals to the ISS since as far back as 2022. Andreas Morgensen, the commander of the seven-person Expedition 70 crew representing the European Space Agency, expressed his excitement, saying, “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 conducted aboard this orbiting laboratory. We have doubled the number of nationalities onboard the space station, going from four to eight, which I think is one great testament to the international collaboration which underpins this marvelous space station.” The Ax-3 crew brings diversity to the mission. This includes Axiom’s first all-European crew, featuring the first astronaut from Turkey, Alper Gezeravcı. He is joined by the Ax-3 mission commander and former NASA astronaut Michael “L.A.” López-Alegría, who holds dual citizenship from the U.S. and Spain. The mission pilot is Walter Villadei from the Italian Air Force, and the mission specialist is Marcus Wandt from the European Space Agency, representing Sweden. The ISS is a bustling place with a variety of people on board, including Morgensen from Denmark, NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara from the U.S., Satoshi Furukawa from Japan, and the Russian cosmonaut trio Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub. They all coexist harmoniously in the microgravity environment, floating around as if in a cosmic luau. When the time was right, the hatches between the ISS and the Freedom capsule opened at 7:13 a.m. EST (1213 GMT), and the Ax-3 crew eagerly joined the celestial party. During a televised welcome ceremony on the ISS, López-Alegría shared some words of wisdom. He remarked, “This is really one symbol of how Axiom, with NASA and other partners, stays working to expand human access to low Earth orbit. 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 but also to individuals, researchers to continue the great work that’s been going on aboard the ISS for the last two decades plus.” This mission is not just a space journey; it’s also a cultural exchange and a voyage of discovery in the great beyond. López-Alegría, a former ISS commander who has been on three NASA shuttle flights, presented Universal Astronaut Pins to his three Ax-3 crewmates. This was a significant moment for Gezeravcı and Wandt, while Villadei had previous experience with suborbital flight aboard Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Unity but was venturing into orbit for the first time. While aboard the space station, the Ax-3 crew will be hard at work conducting experiments for various research purposes, with a particular focus on human spaceflight and the challenges of living in a microgravity environment. They are fully dedicated to their tasks. Gezeravcı, a mission specialist from Turkey, took a moment to express gratitude, saying, “I would like to thank everybody for their great effort for us to be able to make it over here, in the last eight months of training as well as all the counterparts for their contribution to our safe travels. To make it over to the ISS, we are happy as Turkey to take this step for the first time in our history.” The Ax-3 mission includes exciting research projects, such as robotics experiments involving high-strength alloys and investigations into in-space construction and assemblies. One notable experiment from Turkey is called “Vokalkord,” which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to diagnose various diseases simply by analyzing a person’s cough or speech. This represents cutting-edge space-age medicine. But the party is far from over. The Ax-3 crew will remain in orbit for about 14 days, enjoying the cosmic experience. When it’s time to leave the ISS, they will board the SpaceX capsule and return to Earth with a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida. It’s like one big splashdown luau, if you ask me! López-Alegría concluded with a final message to the ISS crew, saying, “I want to thank all of you guys again for welcoming us aboard. 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.” And that’s a wrap, brothers and sisters! The Ax-3 mission is underway, and the ISS is buzzing with diversity and international collaboration. Stay tuned for more updates from the cosmos, and keep riding the space wave! Editor’s note: This story was updated on January 20th to include the successful docking and welcome ceremony of the four Ax-3 astronauts to the International Space Station. Stay connected to the cosmos, folks! If you have any space news tips or want to discuss the stars, feel free to reach out to us at community@space.com. Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events, and more await you! Josh Dinner, Space.com’s Content Manager, has been covering the space beat since 2016, sharing the evolution of NASA’s commercial spaceflight partnerships, from early Dragon and Cygnus cargo missions to the ongoing development and launches of crewed missions from the Space Coast. He also enjoys building 1:144 scale models of rockets and human-flown spacecraft.