A SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the United States, April 8, 2022. NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX launched a first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station on Friday. (Joel Kowsky/NASA/Handout via Xinhua)

LOS ANGELES, April 8 (Xinhua) -- NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX launched a first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station on Friday.

The four-person multinational crew is composed of Commander Michael López-Alegría and Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mission Specialist Mark Pathy of Canada.

The mission, codenamed Ax-1, was launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket at 11:17 a.m. Eastern Time from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.