My crewmates worked hard to focus on this, and it’s definitely not a vacation for them,” he said at a virtual press briefing on February 28. “I think there’s an important role for space tourism, but that’s not what Axiom is about. López-Alegría argues that Ax-1 is a different kind of trip. These suborbital jaunts don’t venture as high as Inspiration4 did or Ax-1 will, though they’re still high enough for passengers to experience zero-g and a spectacular global view. And over the past year, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have ramped up their suborbital space tourism flights, including the latter’s latest one on March 31. “It also provides opportunities to satisfy some of the latent demand out there to fly to the ISS.”Īx-1 will be the second all-private spaceflight to orbit, following SpaceX’s Inspiration4 last September. “It became clear we need to practice this a little bit at a smaller scale before our module shows up and we need to house that many people,” says Michael Suffredini, Axiom’s president and CEO. When the ISS retires, Axiom aims to separate the module, which can host as many as eight astronauts, so that it can become the world’s first free-flying commercial space station. They’ll travel to the ISS aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour, lifted by a Falcon 9 rocket.Īxiom’s mission, known as Ax-1, is intended to help the Houston-based company learn the ropes before its planned ISS crew module, dubbed Axiom Hub One, launches in a few years. On April 8 at 11:17 am Eastern time, the crew is slated to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Axiom Space’s 10-day mission, which will include eight days of living and working in orbit.
A habitat that traditionally hosts mostly space agency astronauts will now welcome four civilians arriving on a company-owned spacecraft. Each of these missions is a next step in building our shared future in low Earth orbit," said Angela Hart, manager, NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.In another milestone for commercial spaceflight, the world’s first fully privately-funded crew to the International Space Station is about to blast off, with their launch window opening on Friday. These commercial efforts continue to expand opportunity and access to microgravity research and discovery. "I am proud to see NASA and industry's continued dedication toward enabling private astronaut missions. NASA has selected Axiom Space for another private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), to the space station, scheduled to launch no earlier than August 2024 from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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The quartet will spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory to perform science, outreach, and commercial activities.Ĭommenting on this development, the Ax-3 mission commander López-Alegría, said, "It is an honor to command another private astronaut mission with Axiom Space and lead a dynamic crew of professional operators representing several nations across one region of the world."Īnnouncing astronaut crew for Axiom Mission 3, #Ax3, set to launch to International Space Station no earlier than January 2024! First-ever, all-European commercial astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, redefining the pathway to LEO! Mission specialists Alper Gezeravci of Turkey and European Space Agency project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden.Commander Michael López-Alegría - Axiom Space's chief astronaut and former NASA astronaut.The Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aboard a Dragon spacecraft no earlier than January 2024. NASA and its partners have approved the four-member crew for Axiom Space's third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Devdiscourse News Desk | California | Updated: 13-09-2023 11:09 IST | Created: 13-09-2023 11:02 IST Image Credit: NASA
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