mission

Ax-1

The Rakia mission, part of the Ax-1 mission, created a real-time connection between the space industry and scientists, artists, and education systems in Israel. Learn more about the far-reaching impact of the Rakia mission in Israel and all the activities conducted in space under the Rakia mission in Ax-1.

See all activities Impact Report

On April 8, 2022, Ax-1 was launched to the International Space Station — a historic mission initiated and led by Axiom Space, marking the first fully private mission to the ISS.

Four astronauts from four different countries went into space aboard the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for a 17-day mission. Among them was Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe.

The Team

Michael López-Alegría

Mission Commander

Larry Connor

Mission Pilot

Eytan Stibbe

Mission Specialist 1

Mark Pathy

Mission Specialist 2

Eytan Stibbe is the second Israeli astronaut and the first to stay on the International Space Station.

Eytan is a founding partner of Vital Capital, an investment fund committed to improving the lives of underserved populations in developing countries, particularly in Africa. As a pioneer in impact investing, Stibbe is a member of the World Economic Forum and sits on the boards of several nonprofit organizations dedicated to art, culture and education.

Eytan served as a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force for 43 years, from 1976 to 2019, which included seven years of active duty and the rest in reserve service. During Ilan Ramon's command of the 117th Squadron, the two men and their families became close friends.

The Rakia Mission Patch

The round sphere represents Earth, surrounded by a magnificent system of stars in orbits shaded by flames and water. The two dots represent astronaut Ilan Ramon (of blessed memory) and astronaut Eytan Stibbe. A quote from the Book of Genesis encircles the design, marking the first appearance of the word 'Rakia'.

The Ax-1 Mission Patch

Features an illustration of the International Space Station, surrounded by the flags of the four nations collaborating on the mission. The blue-toned rings symbolize the atmosphere and humanity’s journey toward space exploration. The atom symbol represents the crew's scientific and educational objectives.

The Rakia Mission was established to allow the public in Israel to participate in Eytan Stibbe's journey and was the first Israeli mission to the International Space Station. The mission was a collaboration with the Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency, under the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.

The Rakia mission developed an innovative model in which entrepreneurs, scientists, educators, artists and students were invited to propose groundbreaking ideas for integration into the mission program. The goal was to inspire the younger generation, promote science, art and culture in Israel, and expand the Israeli space industry.

For the first time, numerous Israeli experiments and technological demonstrations took place on the International Space Station. A range of educational activities werealso conducted in Hebrew, and a series of Israeli art projects were developed in microgravity, in collaboration with various Israeli artists.

Activities

Institutions, organizations, individuals and many partners collaborated to contribute to the success of the Rakia mission in Ax-1. The mission included a range of activities across various fields, allowing anyone with an interest to participate.

Key events from the Ax-1 Mission

Mission highlights and media events during the mission

Experiments

Israeli experiments conducted on the space station and led by Israeli researchers

Art

A one-of-a-kind art exhibition crafted in space and inspired by the mission

Videos

Educational content for all ages providing a glimpse into life in space

Before the launch, an operational mission control room was set up at Check Point's offices in Tel Aviv, from which the mission was managed. Scientists, artists, students and educators communicated with astronaut Eytan Stibbe in real time.

In addition to the mission control room, an interactive visitor center was opened to showcase the journey and life in space. The center welcomed 20,000 students who engaged in hands-on educational activities. Additionally, many unique events were held at the venue.

Rakia Mission Team on Ax-1

Eytan Stibbe

The second Israeli in space

Ran Livne

Mission Director and CEO of the Ramon Foundation

Meirav Catriel-Shtarker

Director

Inbal Kreiss

Chairman of the Scientific Committee

Hadar Vernik

Chairman of the Educational Committee

Gil Peleg

Chair of the International Committee,
Israel Space Agency

Melody Korman

Mission Coordinator

Sari Roth

Vice President of KamaTech

Shelly Ron Adiv

Director of Education and Community, Israel Space Agency

Maya Golan

Director of Family Philanthropy, JNF Israel

Adi Altschuler

Social Entrepreneur, Founder of the Youth Movement "Krembo Wings," Creator of the "Zikaron Basalon" Initiative, and Founder of "Inclu – Inclusive Schools"

Yaniv Waizman

CEO and Owner of Teenk, Founder and Chair of the LGBTQ+ Youth Organization, and Tel Aviv-Yafo City Council Member

Bar Makhlouf

Ramon Award Recipient for 2021

Maayan Honig

Educational Mission Coordinator

Maya Shmit

Educational Mission Coordinator

Ms. Inbal Kreis

Chairperson of the Committee - Innovation Director, Missile and Space Systems Division, Israel Aerospace Industries

Mr. Avi Blasberger

Director of the Israel Space Agency, Ministry of Science and Technology

Dr. Osnat Luxemburg

Director of the Medical Technologies, Information, and Research Division, Ministry of Health

Mr. Zachi Schnarch

Head of the Technology and Market Sectors Division and Deputy Director of the Israel Innovation Authority

Professor Avishay Eyal

Head of the Optics and Photonics Laboratory,Head of the Undergraduate Program at the School of Electrical Engineering,Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University

Prof. Ehud Behar

Dean of the Faculty of Physics,Astrophysicist,Former Director of the Asher Space Research Institute,Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Prof. Orit Shefi

Head of the Bioengineering Track, Faculty Member in Nanotechnology and Brain Research, Faculty of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University

Dr. Jacob Cohen

Chief Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center,Advisor to the Ramon Foundation

Professor Dan Blumberg

Head of the Remote Sensing and Planetary Imaging Laboratory,Vice President for Regional and Industrial Development,Ben-Gurion University

Professor Dror Harats

Faculty Member at the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.Head of Research and Innovation at Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomerCEO and Founder of VBL Biotech

Dr. Shir Stibbe

Pediatric Resident at Sheba Medical Center,
Tel HaShomer. Ax-1 Backup Astronaut. Donors' Representative

Mr. Eliran Raphael Hamo

Committee Coordinator – Researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Tel Aviv University

Udi Edelman

Curator of the Art Mission

Hadas Gur Arie

Art Mission Coordinator

Gil Peleg

Chair of the International Committee, Israel Space Agency

Amit Stibbe

Donors' Representative

Rami Bernadiner

Coordinator, Israel Space Agency

Kelly Ymar

Spokesperson for the Rakia Mission and Head of Communications

Mor Ben Kalifa

Communications Consultant, Rakia Mission Spokesperson Team

Lirin Hasson

Digital Manager,Rakia Mission

Mia Balaban

Communications Consultant,Rakia Mission Spokesperson Team

Sivan Fidelman

Communications Consultant, Rakia Mission Spokesperson Team

Asaf Kupferstein

Digital Consultant, Rakia Mission

אורי בן יוסף

יועץ דיגיטל משימת ׳רקיע׳

From Eytan Stibbe's Journal

The Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe embarked on a 17-day journey in space. But his mission began long before that and continues to this day. Eytan's blog offers personal stories, a glimpse into the life of an astronaut, and the latest updates in the field of space exploration.

Find out more