SpaceX launching Saudi astronauts on private flight to space station

SpaceX's adjacent backstage formation to the International Space Station awaited takeoff Sunday, upwind and rocket permitting.

The passengers see Saudi Arabia's archetypal astronauts successful decades, arsenic good arsenic a Tennessee businessman who started his ain sports car racing team. They'll beryllium led by a retired NASA astronaut who present works for the institution that arranged the 10-day trip.

It's the 2nd charter formation organized by Houston-based Axiom Space. The institution would not accidental however overmuch the latest tickets cost; it antecedently cited per-seat prices of $55 million.

With its Falcon rocket already connected the pad, SpaceX targeted a liftoff precocious Sunday day from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. It's the aforesaid spot wherever Saudi Arabia's archetypal astronaut, a prince, soared successful 1985.

Representing the Saudi Arabian authorities this clip are Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem compartment researcher acceptable to go the kingdom's archetypal pistillate successful space, and Royal Saudi Air Force combatant aviator Ali al-Qarni.

Rounding retired the crew: John Shoffner, the racecar buff; and Peggy Whitson, who holds the U.S. grounds for astir accumulated clip successful abstraction astatine 665 days.