JERUSALEM, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Eytan Stibbe, the second Israeli astronaut ever, took off into space on Friday aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, as part of the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Israeli media reported.
The launch, broadcast live on Israeli television, was performed atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the United States.
Stibbe, a former fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force (IAF), is part of a four-member crew which also includes mission commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Larry Connor, both from the Untied States, and Canada's Mark Pathy.
The spacecraft is expected to stay in space for 10 days for conducting scientific research, educational outreach, and commercial activities, according to NASA.
Stibbe, 64, is expected to conduct dozens of scientific experiments developed by several Israeli universities, institutes, medical centers, and companies in various fields.
The experiments are part of Israel's mission Rakia, which means "sky" in the Hebrew language.
The Rakia Mission, led by the Israeli Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and the Ramon Foundation, also includes education and art activities in space.
Ramon Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes advanced educational programs in the fields of aviation and space.
The foundation was established in memory of the legacy of Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut who was killed in the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in 2003, his late wife Rona Ramon who was a public and educational activist, and their son, IAF pilot Asaf Ramon who was killed in a training accident in 2009.
The whole mission is operated by the U.S. company Axiom Space in partnership with NASA and the U.S. company SpaceX. ■
