Early on Saturday, a four-man crew, including Turkiye’s first astronaut, arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) for a two-week stay in a mission arranged by Texas-based startup company Axiom Space. The crew’s rocketship was supplied, launched, and operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX under contract with Axiom. Once they reached the space station, the crew fell under the responsibility of Nasa’s mission control operation in Houston. The Crew Dragon autonomously docked with the ISS, and the astronauts conducted scientific experiments during their stay in microgravity. The crew was welcomed aboard by the current regular crew of the ISS. Axiom has carved out a business catering to foreign governments and wealthy private patrons aiming to put their own astronauts into orbit and is also building a commercial space station to eventually replace the ISS.