Watch: Axiom Mission 2 arrives at the International Space Station

The Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) rocket arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, 22 May.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried a former Nasa astronaut and three civilian customers for a week-long stay aboard the ISS.

It is the second private mission to the space station, following Axiom Mission 1 which took the first fully-private crew to the orbiting complex back in April.

The rocket was launched on Sunday afternoon from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Its passengers are commander Peggy Whitson, pilot John Shoffner, and mission specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi to the orbital complex.

They will live and work on the space station, conducting more than 20 research experiments “to inform future human spaceflight and improve life on Earth,” Axiom Space said.

The Ax-2 mission’s undocking is expected on 31 May, shortly followed by splashdown.

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