John Shoffner

John Shoffner is an American racing driver, investor, and pilot. In May 2021, he paid for a seat on Axiom Mission 2, the second entirely-private crew mission to the International Space Station. Shoffner served as the pilot of the Crew Dragon crew vehicle, which launched on May 21, 2023. Shoffner is also an air show pilot and has over 8,500 flight hours in fixed-wing aircraft, decommissioned military aircraft, and helicopters. He owns a Republic P-47D Thunderbolt warbird named "Wicked Wabbit". Shoffner’s professional career led him to the forefront of the fiber optic telecommunications industry at its earliest stages. He formed Dura-Line Corporation, developing and patenting multiple processes for materials and methods for the placement of fiber optic cable during the 1980s. As the use of fiber cable to replace copper networks began to spread around the world, Shoffner led the company into each new developing market — first to Europe and then with the fall of the Berlin wall, into the emerging new economies of eastern Europe, and finally on to India and China. The company thrived in each market and became a world leader with operations in nine countries. Dura-Line remains a world market leader today. During the Ax-2 mission, Shoffner worked to bring awareness to the new era of space through scientific research, technology demonstrations, and various outreach and educational events aimed at empowering educators and inspiring students to follow their core interests. Shoffner believes this new era has opened doors for careers never possible before, where STEM education is the best tool to equip students to achieve their goals and live their most purposeful life.

Astronaut info

Country:	USA
Born:	July 25, 1955
Career/Title:	Racing driver Sky diver Pilot Investor
Space missions:	Ax-2 (2023)
Spacewalks	0
Time in space	9d 5h 27m
Website:	/

Space mission overview

Mission	Date launch	Rocket	Launch base	Orbit	Spacecraft	Title	Patch	Duration
Ax-2	21/05/2023	Falcon 9	Kennedy Space Center (USA)	585 km	SpaceX Crew Dragon	Pilot		9 days, 5 hours
Axiom Mission 2 was a private crewed spaceflight operated by Axiom Space. Ax-2 was launched on 21 May 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon 9, successfully docking with the International Space Station on 22 May 2023. After eight days docked to the ISS, the Dragon crew capsule Freedom undocked and returned to Earth twelve hours later. The crew was commanded by Axiom employee Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut. John Shoffner, a space tourist, served as the pilot. The Saudi Space Agency purchased the other two seats on the flight and named astronauts Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi to be the Mission Specialists. During the mission, the crew performed public outreach activities along with scientific research, including studies into the effects of microgravity on stem cells and other biological experiments. After eight days docked to the ISS, Axiom 2 undocked and returned to Earth twelve hours later. Freedom splashed down successfully in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida.

Images: Axiom Space