SpaceX AX-3 Mission launched 4 astronauts to Space Station

On Thursday, the SpaceX Falcon 9 reusable rocket launched the Dragon spacecraft and 4 astronauts toward the International Space Station (ISS) under the Axiom AX-3 mission.

The launch took place on January 18 at 4:49 p.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Liftoff of Ax-3! pic.twitter.com/PRy1LJmf3o

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 18, 2024

After the first stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster rocket landed back on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Then the second stage positioned Dragon in the right direction.

Falcon 9’s first stage booster has landed at Landing Zone 1 pic.twitter.com/9FUwT4YZHp

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 18, 2024

In the following scenario, the Dragon spacecraft will lead the journey to the space station and dock on January 20 at around 4:19 a.m. ET. A live webcast of the docking will happen online at the NASA website and SpaceX’s X account.

SpaceX AX-3 Mission

This launch wraps up the sixth Falcon 9 rocket mission of this year and the 12th overall human flight for the Dragon spacecraft.