CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) 鈥� SpaceX launched three rich businessmen and their astronaut escort to the International Space Station on Friday for more than a week鈥檚 stay, as NASA joins Russia in hosting guests at the world鈥檚 most expensive tourist destination.
It鈥檚 SpaceX鈥檚 first private charter flight to the orbiting lab after two years of carrying astronauts there for NASA.
Arriving at the space station Saturday will be an American, Canadian and Israeli who run investment, real estate and other companies. They鈥檙e paying $55 million apiece for the rocket ride and accommodations, all meals included.
Russia has been hosting tourists at the space station 鈥� and before that the Mir station 鈥� for decades. Just last fall, a Russian movie crew flew up, followed by a Japanese fashion tycoon and his assistant.
NASA is finally getting into the act, after years of opposing space station visitors.
鈥淚t was a hell of a ride and we鈥檙e looking forward to the next 10 days,鈥� said former NASA astronaut and chaperone Michael Lopez-Alegria on reaching orbit.
The visitors' tickets include access to all but the Russian portion of the space station 鈥� they鈥檒l need permission from the three cosmonauts on board. Three Americans and a German also live up there.
Lopez-Alegria plans to avoid talking about politics and the war in Ukraine while he鈥檚 at the space station.
鈥淚 honestly think that it won鈥檛 be awkward. I mean maybe a tiny bit,鈥� he said. He expects the 鈥渟pirit of collaboration will shine through.鈥�
The private Axiom Space company arranged the visit with NASA for its three paying customers: Larry Connor of Dayton, Ohio, who runs the Connor Group; Mark Pathy, founder and CEO of Montreal鈥檚 Mavrik Corp.; and Israel鈥檚 Eytan Stibbe, a former fighter pilot and founding partner of Vital Capital.
Before the launch, their enthusiasm was obvious: Stibbe did a little dance when he arrived at the rocket at Kennedy Space Center.
SpaceX and NASA have been upfront with them about the risks of spaceflight, said Lopez-Alegria, who spent seven months at the space station 15 years ago.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no fuzz, I think, on what the dangers are or what the bad days could look like,鈥� Lopez-Alegria told The Associated Press before the flight.
Each visitor has a full slate of experiments to conduct during their stay, one reason they don鈥檛 like to be called space tourists.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not up there to paste their nose on the window,鈥� said Axiom鈥檚 co-founder and president, Michael Suffredini, a former NASA space station program manager.
The three businessmen are the latest to take advantage of the opening of space to those with deep pockets. Jeff Bezos鈥� rocket company Blue Origin is taking customers on 10-minute rides to the edge of space, while Virgin Galactic expects to start flying customers on its rocket ship later this year.
Friday鈥榮 flight is the second private charter for Elon Musk鈥檚 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. More customer trips will follow, with Axiom adding its own rooms to the orbiting complex beginning in 2024. After about five years, the company plans to detach its compartments to form a self-sustaining station 鈥� one of several commercial outposts intended to replace the space station once it's retired and NASA shifts to the moon.
At an adjacent pad during Friday鈥檚 launch: NASA鈥檚 new moon rocket, which is awaiting completion of a dress rehearsal for a summertime test flight.
As a gift for their seven station hosts, the four visitors are taking up paella and other Spanish cuisine prepared by celebrity chef Jos茅 Andr茅s. The rest of their time at the station, NASA鈥檚 freeze-dried chow will have to do.
The automated SpaceX capsule is due back with the four on April 19.
Connor is honoring Ohio鈥檚 air and space legacy, taking up a fabric swatch from the Wright brothers鈥� 1903 Kitty Hawk flyer and gold foil from the Apollo 11 command module from the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta.
Only the second Israeli in space, Stibbe will continue a thunderstorm experiment begun by the first 鈥� Ilan Ramon, who died aboard shuttle Columbia in 2003. They were in the same fighter pilot squadron.
Stibbe is carrying copies of recovered pages of Ramon鈥檚 space diary, as well as a song composed by Ramon鈥檚 musician son and a painting of pages falling from the sky by his daughter.
鈥淭o be a part of this unique crew is a proof for me that there鈥檚 no dream beyond reach,鈥� he said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Marcia Dunn , The Associated Press
