Three multimillionaire businessmen have docked and entered the International Space Station in what has been hailed as a milestone for commercial space exploration.
Alongside a retired NASA astronaut, the men launched from Florida on Friday as part of a private SpaceX launch.
The four men were welcomed onboard the ISS on Saturday by the crew there as NASA joins Russia in hosting guests at the world's most expensive tourist destination.
The American, Canadian and Israeli businessmen each paid $55m (£42m) for the rocket ride and accommodation.
The launch, codenamed Ax-1, was commissioned by Axiom Space, a US space infrastructure developer.
Michael López-Alegría, the former NASA astronaut who escorted the men, is the company's vice president of business development.
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The launch was the sixth human spaceflight conducted by SpaceX and the first private launch that it has docked with the ISS.
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The four men say they are not tourists as they will be conducting commercial scientific research while on board, including on "self-assembling technology for satellites and future space habitats, cancer stem cell study, and air purification".
Axiom describes the mission as its first step towards building a commercial space station, which NASA expects to take off over the next few years, ultimately leading to pulling the ISS out of the sky.
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The US response to the Russian war in Ukraine has led to the head of Roscosmos pledging to no longer collaborate on the international project.
NASA's plans, which pre-date the invasion and sanctions, could mean the ISS is taken out of orbit in January 2031 and crashed into a "spacecraft cemetery" in the most remote part of the Earth's surface.
The four astronauts who arrived on Saturday will have access to the entire ISS - excluding the Russian section - and will live alongside three Americans and a German.
The three paying customers are: Larry Connor of Dayton, Ohio, who runs the Connor Group; Mark Pathy, founder and chief executive of Montreal's Mavrik Corp; and Israel's Eytan Stibbe, a former fighter pilot and founding partner of Vital Capital.
Russia has been hosting visitors at the space station for decades, and before that at the Mir station.
Last autumn, a Russian movie crew was flown up, followed by a Japanese fashion tycoon and his assistant.
Now, after years of opposing space station tourists, NASA is finally getting on board.
Mr Lopez-Alegria said he plans to avoid talking about politics and the crisis in Ukraine while he's at the space station.
"I honestly think that it won't be awkward. I mean maybe a tiny bit," he said, adding that he expects the "spirit of collaboration will shine through".
Mr Stibbe expressed his excitement ahead of the launch, doing a little dance when he arrived at the rocket at Kennedy Space Center.
The businessmen are the latest people to take advantage of the opening of space to those who can afford it.
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos' rocket company Blue Origin is taking customers on 10-minute rides to the edge of space, while Virgin Galactic is expecting to start flying customers on its rocket ship later this year.
Mr Lopez-Alegria, who spent seven months at the space station 15 years ago, said SpaceX and NASA have been upfront with the passengers about the risks of spaceflight.
"There's no fuzz, I think, on what the dangers are or what the bad days could look like," he told Associated Press before the flight.
Every visitor has a full state of experiments to conduct during their stay - which is partly why they don't like being called space tourists.
"They're not up there to paste their nose on the window," Michael Suffredini, Axiom's co-founder and president, said.
Friday's launch is the second private charter for Elon Musk's SpaceX, which took a billionaire and his guests on a three-day orbit ride last year.
Axiom is targeting next year for its second private flight to the space station. It says a participant in a future launch will be chosen through a reality television show.
More customer trips will follow, with Axiom adding its own rooms to the orbiting complex beginning in 2024.
The automated SpaceX capsule is due back with the four on 19 April.
As a space enthusiast with a profound understanding of commercial space exploration, I can confidently analyze the significant developments in the recent SpaceX launch, codenamed Ax-1, which marked a milestone in the realm of private space missions. The successful docking and entry of three multimillionaire businessmen, accompanied by a retired NASA astronaut, into the International Space Station (ISS) is a remarkable achievement for the burgeoning field of commercial space exploration.
The four individuals, comprising an American, a Canadian, and an Israeli businessman, along with the retired NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, embarked on this historic journey from Florida as part of a private SpaceX launch. They each paid a substantial amount, $55 million (£42 million) per person, for the rocket ride and accommodation. This privately commissioned mission, orchestrated by Axiom Space, a U.S. space infrastructure developer, is named Ax-1.
The businessmen's arrival at the ISS on Saturday was met with a warm welcome from the existing crew, positioning the ISS as the world's most expensive tourist destination. Notably, this mission represents the first private launch by SpaceX that has docked with the ISS, marking the sixth human spaceflight conducted by the space company.
Axiom Space, the orchestrator of this mission, envisions building a commercial space station, with NASA anticipating the transition over the next few years, potentially leading to the withdrawal of the ISS from orbit. The four astronauts on this mission assert that they are not mere tourists; instead, they are committed to conducting commercial scientific research during their stay. Their research includes areas such as "self-assembling technology for satellites and future space habitats, cancer stem cell study, and air purification."
It's noteworthy that this endeavor comes at a time when NASA's collaboration on the ISS with Russia is facing challenges due to the geopolitical situation. NASA's plans, predating the recent events in Ukraine, suggest the possibility of decommissioning the ISS by January 2031, culminating in a controlled descent into a "spacecraft cemetery" in the Earth's most remote part.
The three paying customers on this mission include Larry Connor of Dayton, Ohio; Mark Pathy, founder and CEO of Montreal's Mavrik Corp; and Israel's Eytan Stibbe, a former fighter pilot and founding partner of Vital Capital. They join the existing ISS crew, excluding the Russian section, and will share living quarters with three Americans and a German.
Despite the challenging geopolitical context, the astronauts aim to focus on scientific collaboration, with Mr. Lopez-Alegria expressing his intention to avoid discussing politics and the Ukraine crisis during their stay. The astronauts emphasize their commitment to conducting experiments and research, dispelling the notion of being mere space tourists.
This mission is part of a broader trend where private individuals, including billionaires like Jeff Bezos and companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, are capitalizing on the opening of space travel to those who can afford it. SpaceX and NASA have been transparent with the passengers about the risks associated with spaceflight.
In conclusion, this SpaceX Ax-1 mission signifies a crucial step in the evolution of commercial space exploration, combining private enterprise with scientific research on the ISS. It reflects the growing interest and investment in space tourism, potentially paving the way for future commercial space stations and redefining the landscape of human space exploration.
