IN PICS | Meet Four-Member Crew Of Ax-1, First All-Private Astronaut Mission To Space Station

The Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) will be the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX will launch three paying passengers and a retired NASA astronaut into space as part of the mission | Credit: Axiom Space

The Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) will be the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX will launch three paying passengers and a retired NASA astronaut into space as part of the mission | Credit: Axiom Space

Axiom Mission 1 is scheduled for launch on Friday, April 8, at 11:17 am EDT (8:47 pm IST). | Credit: Axiom Space

The four-person crew will blast off into space aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, atop a Falcon 9 rocket. | Credit: Axiom Space

The Ax-1 Crew consists of former NASA astronaut and Axiom vice president Michael López-Algría; American entrepreneur and non-profit activist investor Larry Connor; Canadian investor and philanthropist Mark Pathy; and impact investor and philanthropist Eytan Stibbe of Israel. | Credit: Axiom Space

Ax-1 Crew during a Zero-G Flight. López-Algría will serve as mission commander, Connor will be the mission pilot, while Pathy and Stibbe will serve as mission specialists during the 10-day mission. | Credit: Axiom Space

Ax-1 Crew at Johnson Space Center (JSC) training. The four space travellers aim to distinguish themselves as much as possible from space tourists by performing research activities and philanthropic projects on the space station. | Credit: Axiom Space

Ax-1 Crew at JSC. The four-person crew will stay aboard the US segment of the orbital laboratory for approximately eight days. | Credit: Axiom Space

Axiom Mission 1 crew at JSC. Credit: Axiom Space

Ax-1 Crew at JSC. The four crewmembers will conduct more than 25 different experiments aboard the space station. | Credit: Axiom Space

Ax-1 Crew at SpaceX. Ax-1 is the first of Axiom Space's "precursor" private astronaut missions to the space station. | Credit: Axiom Space

Former NASA astronauts Michael López-Alegría and Peggy Whitson. Whitson will serve as Ax-1's backup commander. | Credit: Axiom Space

Michael López-Alegría is the chief astronaut for Axiom Space. He has had a record setting career at NASA for 20 years, flying to space four times. He last visited the space station in 2007. | Credit: Axiom Space

Ax-1 Pilot Larry Connor. Connor is the founder and managing director of The Connor Group, a real estate investment firm he grew from $0 to $3.5 billion in assets, and is also the founder of two technology comThrough Ax-1, Connor will become the first private pilot to reach the space station and the first human to reach the deepest ocean depths and other space within one year. | Credit: Axiom Spacepanies.

Ax-1 Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe. He is an impact investor and philanthropist, and will travel to the space station under the "Rakia" banner and the maxim "There is no dream beyond reach" which magnificently captures the spirit of the mission. Rakia is a biblical term that designates the creation of the sky. He is a close personal friend of Columbian astronaut Ilan Ramon, and a former Israeli Air Force pilot. Stibbe will be Israel's second astronaut to reach space. | Credit: Axiom Space

Ax-1 Mission Specialist Mark Pathy. He is currently the chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of Montreal-based MAVRIK, a privately-owned investment and financing company founded by him. Through the Ax-1 mission, Pathy will become Canada's second private astronaut, and the 12th Canadian to travel to space. | Credit: Axiom Space

Mark Pathy and Michael López-Alegría during crew equipment interface test (CEIT) | Credit: Axiom Space

Michael López-Alegría and Larry Connor at SpaceX training | Credit: Axiom Space

Ax-1 Mission Patch | Credit: Axiom Space