The first 100% private manned mission arrives late to the International Space Station

The first fully private manned mission sent to the International Space Station (ISS), on Saturday, reached its destination, one hour late.

The four crew members joined the remaining passengers on the International Space Station – four astronauts and three astronauts – after departing, Friday, from the Kennedy Space Center in the United States, aboard a SpaceX spacecraft.

Michael Lopez Allegria (mission commander and former NASA astronaut), Eitan Stipe (former Israeli airline pilot), Larry Connor (US investor and private pilot) and Mark Bathy (Canadian businessman) will be at EEI in nine days for scientific and educational experiments and commercial activities.

The four men traveled in the service of another US airline, Axiom Space, which had begun commercial missions to the International Space Station. With the exception of Michael Lopez Allegria, who is part of the company, the other crew members paid millions of dollars for the trip.

SpaceX, owned by tycoon Elon Musk, has sent astronauts from the United States and Europe to the International Space Station, and has maintained cooperation with the US space agency NASA, which operates the Kennedy Space Center.

Axiom Space, which aims to create the first commercial space station, and whose first unit is expected to launch in 2024, has agreed with SpaceX for a total of four missions.