12.05.2021
NASA, Axiom Agree to First Private Astronaut Mission on Space Station
NASA and Axiom Space have signed an order for the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station to take place no earlier than January 2022.
“We are excited to see more people have access to spaceflight through this first private astronaut mission to the space station,” said Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for human exploration and operations at NASA Headquarters. “One of our original goals with the Commercial Crew Program, and again with our Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program, is that our providers have customers other than NASA to grow a commercial economy in low-Earth orbit.”
The spaceflight, designated as Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and travel to the International Space Station. Once docked, the Axiom astronauts are scheduled to spend eight days aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA and Axiom mission planners will coordinate in-orbit activities for the private astronauts to conduct in coordination with space station crew members and flight controllers on the ground.
Axiom will purchase services for the mission from NASA, such as crew supplies, cargo delivery to space, storage, and other in-orbit resources for daily use. NASA will purchase from Axiom the capability to return scientific samples that must be kept cold in transit back to Earth.
“The first private crew to visit the International Space Station is a watershed moment in humanity’s expansion off the planet and we are glad to partner with NASA in making it happen,” said Axiom President and CEO Michael Suffredini. “A thriving commercial marketplace in low-Earth orbit begins with expanding access to serious, nontraditional users and that is exactly the aim of our private astronaut missions.”
NASA has opened up the space station for commercial activities, including private astronaut missions, as part of its plan to develop a robust and competitive economy in low-Earth orbit. The agency’s needs to achieve that goal – such as research on the effects of the space environment on humans, technology development, and in-flight crew testing – will remain in place after the retirement of the International Space Station. Commercial entities can meet those needs, providing destinations and transportation capabilities. Enabling Ax-1 is an important step to stimulate demand for commercial human spaceflight services so NASA can be one of many customers in low-Earth orbit.
For the Ax-1 mission, Axiom has proposed Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe as prime crew members. These private astronauts will be reviewed by NASA and its international partners, as is standard for any space station crew, and undergo NASA medical qualification testing to be approved for flight. López-Alegría will serve as the mission commander, with Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner as backups.
Once the proposed crew passes review and qualification, the four members will train for their flight with NASA, international partners, and SpaceX, which Axiom has contracted as launch provider for transportation to the space station. Trainers will familiarize the private astronauts with systems, procedures, and emergency preparedness for the space station and the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Based on current mission planning, training is scheduled to begin this summer.
The development and growth of the low-Earth orbit economy continues. In January 2020, NASA selected Axiom to provide at least one habitable commercial module to be attached to the forward port of the International Space Station’s Harmony node in late 2024. Most recently, NASA announced the agency is seeking input from industry on future commercial low-Earth orbit destinations that will provide services, such as crew training, scientific research, and advanced systems development for both government and private-sector astronauts and customers.
For more than 20 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence in low-Earth orbit. The agency's goal is a low-Earth orbit marketplace where NASA is one of many customers, and the private sector leads the way. This strategy will provide services the government needs at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on its Artemis missions to the Moon and on to Mars while continuing to use low-Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.
Quelle: NASA
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HOUSTON – Axiom Space on Tuesday announced its crew for humankind’s first flight of a group of private individuals to a Low Earth Orbit destination – the first-ever entirely private mission proposed to fly to the International Space Station (ISS).
The proposed historic Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) will consist of: former NASA astronaut and Axiom vice president Michael López-Alegría as commander; American entrepreneur and non-profit activist investor Larry Connor as pilot; Canadian investor and philanthropist Mark Pathy; and impact investor and philanthropist Eytan Stibbe of Israel.
López-Alegría, who flew to space four times over a 20-year, record-setting career at NASA and last visited the ISS in 2007, will become the first person to ever command both a civil and a commercial human spaceflight mission. Connor will be the first private mission pilot in the annals of spaceflight.
Pathy will be Canada’s 11th astronaut. Stibbe, a close personal friend of Columbia astronaut Ilan Ramon and a former Israeli Air Force pilot, will be Israel’s second. Both will fly as mission specialists.
“This collection of pioneers – the first space crew of its kind – represents a defining moment in humanity’s eternal pursuit of exploration and progress,” López-Alegría said. “I know from firsthand experience that what humans encounter in space is profound and propels them to make more meaningful contributions on returning to Earth. And as much as any astronaut who has come before them, the members of this crew have accomplished the sorts of things in life that equip them to accept that responsibility, act on that revelation, and make a truly global impact.
“I look forward to leading this crew and to their next meaningful and productive contributions to the human story, both on orbit and back home.”
Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will serve as Ax-1’s backup commander, while John Shoffner of Knoxville, Tenn. is the backup mission pilot. Carrying a time-honored approach over from the civil spaceflight era to the private one, the prime and backup crews are slated to go through Axiom’s full training program together.
Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1)
The proposed Ax-1 mission will include the crew living aboard the U.S. segment of the ISS for approximately eight days, participating in research and philanthropic projects.
Connor, who has founded and led organizations in the real estate, fintech, and non-profit sectors, will collaborate with Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic on research projects. He also intends to provide instructional lessons to students at Dayton Early College Academy in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
Pathy is collaborating with the Canadian Space Agency as well as the Montreal Children’s Hospital, who are helping identify health-related research projects that could be undertaken during the mission.
Stibbe plans to conduct scientific experiments of Israeli researchers and entrepreneurs coordinated by the Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency at the Ministry of Science & Technology and to undertake educational activities from orbit to inspire Israeli children, youth, and educators.
“We sought to put together a crew for this historic mission that had demonstrated a lifelong commitment to improving the lives of the people on Earth, and I’m glad to say we’ve done that with this group,” Axiom Space President & CEO Michael Suffredini said. “This is just the first of several Axiom Space crews whose private missions to the International Space Station will truly inaugurate an expansive future for humans in space – and make a meaningful difference in the world when they return home.”
Axiom Space is the commercial space industry’s only full-service orbital mission provider for private and national astronauts. Its all-inclusive offering provides services such as training, transportation, mission planning, hardware development, life support, medical support, crew provisions, safety and hardware certifications, on-orbit operations, and overall mission management.
Precursor to commercializing Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
With the first launch opportunity no earlier than January 2022 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, Ax-1 is the first of Axiom Space’s “precursor” private astronaut missions to the ISS – subject to approval from NASA and its international partners. Axiom Space and NASA are working together on the final approvals of a formal Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) to enable private astronaut missions, with further discussions underway to agree on and authorize the Ax-1 mission profile.
Houston-based Axiom intends to offer private and national astronaut flights to ISS at a rate of up to two per year to align with flight opportunities as they are made available by NASA, while simultaneously constructing its own privately funded space station. The Axiom Station’s modules will be attached to the Harmony node of the ISS beginning as early as 2024, a commercial expansion of the orbiting lab for which NASA selected Axiom in January 2020.
At ISS retirement, the Axiom Station will separate to form the world’s first free-flying, privately developed, internationally available space station – the central node of a near-future network of research, manufacturing, and commerce in LEO.
About Axiom Space
Axiom Space was founded in 2016 with the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. While building and launching the Axiom Segment of the International Space Station to one day form the world’s first free-flying commercial space station, Axiom provides access to the ISS today by conducting full- service, end-to-end crewed missions for professional and private astronauts. More information about Axiom can be found at www.axiomspace.com.
Quelle: Axiom Space
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Update: 25.02.2022
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NASA, Axiom to Discuss First Private Astronaut Space Station Mission
NASA experts will join a virtual news conference hosted by Axiom Space to preview the launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The briefing will take place at 11 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 28.
The virtual press conference will be available on Axiom Space’s YouTube channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/axiomspace
The Ax-1 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft is targeted for 2:46 p.m. EDT Wednesday, March 30, at from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
During the 10-day mission, which includes eight days aboard the space station, the four-person multi-national crew will complete more than 25 research experiments developed for microgravity in collaboration with health and science organizations across the globe.
Briefing participants are:
- Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, Space Operations, NASA
- Robyn Gatens, director, International Space Station, NASA
- Phil McAllister, director, Commercial Spaceflight, NASA
- Michael Suffredini, president and chief executive officer, Axiom
- Michael López-Alegría, Ax-1 crew commander, Axiom
- Christian Maender, director, In-Space Research and Manufacturing, Axiom
- Benjamin Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
To participate, media must contact: media@axiomspace.com by 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, to receive call-in details.
Axiom Space astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe, are prime crew members of the Ax-1 mission. López-Alegría, who was born in Spain, raised in California, and is a former NASA astronaut, will serve as the mission commander. Connor, of Dayton, Ohio, will serve as pilot. Pathy, from Canada, and Stibbe, from Israel, will serve as mission specialists.
NASA continues to make rapid progress in its efforts to build a robust low-Earth orbit economy. The agency recently announced its selection of Axiom Space to begin negotiations for the second private astronaut mission. NASA also recently announced its selection of companies to develop designs of space stations and other commercial destinations in low-Earth orbit.
Prior to these new awards, NASA selected Axiom Space in January 2020 to design and develop commercial modules to attach to the station. Axiom recently completed the preliminary design review of two modules as well as the critical design review of the modules’ primary structure with NASA participation. Flight hardware for the first Axiom module is currently undergoing fabrication.
Quelle: NASA
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Update: 1.03.2022
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NASA, Axiom plan update on private astronaut mission to ISS
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft sits on top of a Falcon 9 rocket as it is being prepared to launch NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 to the International Space Station from Florida in November. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
NASA and Houston-based Axiom Space are expected to provide more details Monday about their plan to launch the first all-private astronaut mission, Ax-1, to the International Space Station in late March.
Former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegria will command the crew that also includes three paying passengers to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket March 30. Liftoff is set for 2:46 p.m. EDT from Complex 39-A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA and Axiom's virtual press conference about the mission will start at 11 a.m. EST on Monday.
The paying crew members are billionaire businessmen who spent $55 million apiece on the excursion -- Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe.
"Soon my journey will come full circle as I return to space, this time as the leader of #Ax1 -- the first fully private mission to the @Space_Station," López-Alegria posted on Twitter. "The mission is itself a symbolic blend of government and commercial achievements."
Elon Musk's SpaceX already hosted an all private-mission in orbit, the Inspiration4 flight in September, which was paid for by billionaire Jared Isaacman, founder of the Shift4 payments company.
Private astronauts have also flown to the space station before on Russian Soyuz rockets, but always with a trained cosmonaut.
But Ax-1 will be the first time an entirely commercial mission visits the space station, under the guidance of López-Alegria.
López-Alegría, a vice president with Axiom, flew to space four times over a 20-year career at NASA. He will become the first person to command both a civil and a commercial human spaceflight mission.
Connor, an Ohio real estate and financial technology entrepreneur, has flown fighter jets and will be the mission pilot, according to Axiom's mission description.
Connor previously said he plans to collaborate with the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic on medical research, while providing lessons to students at Dayton Early College Academy in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
Pathy, chief executive of Mavrik, a Montreal investment firm, plans to collaborate with the Canadian Space Agency and the Montreal Children's Hospital on health-related projects.
Eytan Stibbe plans to conduct experiments for Israeli researchers and entrepreneurs coordinated by the Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency, along with educational outreach to Israeli students.
The Crew Dragon capsule for the mission is due to return after 10 days in space to a splashdown near Florida.
Quelle: UPI
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Update: 20.03.2022
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2 SpaceX astronaut launches to the space station delayed by a few days
Ax-1 is now targeted for April 3, and Crew-4 will launch no earlier than April 19.
The Ax-1 crew performs microgravity training ahead of their launch to the International Space Station, which is now targeted for April 3. (Image credit: Axiom Space)
We'll have to wait a little longer to see SpaceX's next two astronaut missions take flight.
Elon Musk's company is gearing up to launch two crewed missions to the International Space Station: Ax-1, a private flight for Houston-based company Axiom Space, and Crew-4, a contracted mission for NASA.
Ax-1, the first-ever all-private crewed mission to the station, had been scheduled to lift off on March 30. However, Axiom announced today (March 18) that the launch has been pushed to April 3 at the earliest to "allow teams to complete final spacecraft processing ahead of the mission."
And that change in turn delays Crew-4, which had been aiming to get off the ground on April 15.
"The current no-earlier-than launch date is Tuesday, April 19, pending completion of program reviews expected early next week to formalize the new target," NASA officials wrote in an update today.
The extra time will "allow appropriate spacing for operations and post-flight data reviews between human spaceflight missions and to allow for multiple consecutive launch attempts based on the orbital mechanics for arrival to the space station," they added.
Ax-1 will send four people to the space station for an eight-day stay. Three of them are paying customers, and the fourth is mission commander Michael López-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut who now works for Axiom.
Crew-4 will deliver NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins and the European Space Agency's Samantha Cristoforetti to the orbiting lab. The quartet will spend months aboard the station conducting a range of science experiments.
Both Ax-1 and Crew-4 will employ SpaceX's Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket. As its name suggests, Crew-4 will be the fourth full-fledged contracted astronaut mission that SpaceX carries out for NASA. (The astronauts of Crew-3 are still aboard the space station; they're expected to return to Earth next month.)
Ax-1 is the first of several crewed space station missions that Axiom plans to fly with SpaceX over the next few years. But it won't be SpaceX's first all-private astronaut mission; that distinction goes to Inspiration4, which sent four passengers on a free-flying, three-day mission to Earth orbit last September.
Quelle: SC
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Update: 21.03.2022
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Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe's first SpaceX flight delayed
Stibbe and the crew are set to spend 10 days in orbit working and living aboard the ISS before splashing down off the coast of Florida.
Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe's SpaceX-operated Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station (ISS) was delayed to launch no earlier than April 3, Axiom Space said on Friday.
Set to be Stibbe's first spaceflight, the Ax-1 mission's launch was set back to "allow teams to complete final spacecraft processing ahead of the mission," a joint statement by Axiom Space and SpaceX read.
Originally targeted to launch on March 30 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the mission is the first-ever all-private crewed mission to the ISS.
Stibbe, a 62-year-old Israeli Air Force (IAF) veteran, spent 43 years in the IDF as a fighter jet pilot and flight instructor before acting as adviser to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
A close friend of first Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, Stibbe established the Ramon Foundation with Ramon's family and close friends seven years after Ramon's death in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post in 2020, Ramon Foundation director-general Ran Livne explained that Axiom and SpaceX's mission was a golden opportunity to send another Israeli to space in Ramon's honor.
Stibbe and the crew, captained by experienced Spanish-American astronaut Michael López-Alegría, will spend 10 days in orbit working and living aboard the ISS before splashing down off the coast of Florida.
The astronauts have already completed a test drive, known as the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), on Thursday. During the CEIT, Stibbe and company entered for the first time the Crew Dragon Endeavour, the space capsule manufactured by SpaceX and used in NASA's commercial programs.
The delay has also caused a setback in the planned launch of the Crew-4 Mission, a SpaceX-contracted mission to NASA.
Quelle: The Jerusalem Post
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Update: 28.03.2022
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NASA to Host Axiom Mission 1 Flight Readiness Media Teleconference
NASA will host a media teleconference Friday, March 25, following the agency’s flight readiness review for the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
This media briefing will focus on the readiness of the Ax-1 flight to visit the space station, including arrival, docking, in-orbit, and undocking operations at the orbital complex.
The briefing time, currently scheduled at 6 p.m. EDT or one-hour after the review ends, will be updated on NASA’s space station blog at the completion of the meeting.
Briefing participants include:
- Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
- Dana Weigel, deputy manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Angela Hart, program manager, NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Program
- Michael Suffredini, president and CEO, Axiom Space
- Derek Hassmann, operations director, Axiom Space
- William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
This event is a teleconference only, and media must register to participate in this briefing. For the call-in details, please contact NASA’s Johnson Space Center newsroom at: 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov no later than noon Friday, March 25.
Ax-1 launch is targeted for no earlier than Sunday, April 3, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, pending range availability.
The Ax-1 crew members, Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel and Mark Pathy of Canada, will travel to the space station on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft after launching on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
During the 10-day mission, the crew will spend eight days aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities.
Quelle: NASA
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Update: 30.03.2022
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SpaceX's Ax-1 astronaut mission to the space station delayed to April 6
The Artemis 1 moon mission 'wet dress rehearsal' is happening this weekend, pushing Ax-1 back.
Axiom Space's private Ax-1 crew will ride a SpaceX spacecraft to the International Space Station in April 2022. They are (from left): pilot Larry Connor; Mark Pathy, mission specialist; Michael López-Alegría, commander; and Eytan Stibbe, mission specialist. (Image credit: Axiom Space)
The first all-private crewed mission to the International Space Station won't launch this weekend after all.
Axiom Space's Ax-1 mission had been targeting a Sunday (April 3) liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. But on Monday (March 28), NASA officially approved Friday (April 1) through Sunday for the crucial "wet dress rehearsal" of its Artemis 1 moon mission, a practice session that's also taking place at KSC. So Ax-1 is getting pushed a few days.
"NASA, Axiom and SpaceX are now looking at no earlier than April 6 for the launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, pending range approval," NASA officials wrote in an update on Monday afternoon.
Ax-1 will use a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule to send four people to the space station for an eight-day stay. Three of them are paying customers; the fourth is Axiom employee Michael López-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut who's commanding the mission.
SpaceX has another astronaut launch coming up from KSC as well — that of the Crew-4 mission, which will send three NASA astronauts and one European spaceflyer to the orbiting lab for a lengthy stint. NASA and SpaceX had been targeting April 19 for Crew-4's liftoff, and that remains the case despite the Ax-1 delay, agency officials said in today's update.
The Artemis 1 wet dress rehearsal is a series of tests that will simulate the activities and procedures leading up to launch, including fueling of the mission's huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. (That's what the "wet" refers to.)
Artemis 1, the first-ever flight of the SLS, will send NASA's Orion capsule on an uncrewed mission around the moon. Launch is tentatively expected in May or June; NASA will set an official target date after analyzing the results of the wet dress rehearsal and other tests.
Quelle: SC
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Update: 2.04.2022
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Coverage Set for Axiom Mission 1 Briefings, Events, Broadcast
NASA and Axiom Space will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website will provide coverage for docking and undocking operations and some prelaunch and launch activities.
Liftoff is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 6, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will travel to the orbiting outpost aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The Ax-1 crew members are Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mission Specialist Mark Pathy of Canada.
During the 10-day mission, the crew will spend eight days on the International Space Station, conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities.
NASA coverage of the Ax-1 launch will be available as follows (all times Eastern):
Tuesday, April 5
No earlier than 3 p.m. – Prelaunch News Conference (targeted for one hour following the Launch Readiness Review)
The prelaunch news conference will focus on final preparations for the Ax-1 mission. It will discuss the results of the Launch Readiness Review, which evaluates the mission hardware and its readiness for launch. NASA will provide a livestream of the news conference at:
Participants include:
- Dana Weigel, International Space Station deputy program manager, NASA
- Angela Hart, Commercial Low-Earth orbit (LEO) Program manager, NASA
- Michael Suffredini, president and CEO, Axiom Space
- Derek Hassmann, operations director, Axiom Space
- Benjamin Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
- Launch Weather Officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force
Media must register to participate in this briefing. In-person attendance is possible for a limited number of media who previously have been credentialed to cover Ax-1 launch activities from the press site at Kennedy. For the call-in details, please contact the Axiom Space media team before 8 a.m. Monday, April 4 at: media@axiomspace.com.
Wednesday, April 6
10:45 a.m. – NASA launch coverage begins
NASA will broadcast the Ax-1 launch on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Coverage will join the joint Axiom Space and SpaceX broadcast that begins at about 8:40 a.m. at:
http://www.axiomspace.com/live
The broadcast will end after orbital insertion approximately 15 minutes after launch. As it is a commercial launch, NASA will not provide a clean feed for this launch, neither on the NASA Media Channel nor on site at Kennedy.
1:15 p.m. – Postlaunch Media Briefing (targeted about one hour following launch)
Leadership from NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX will participate in a postlaunch media briefing to provide an update on the launch and mission operations.
Participants include:
- Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for space operations, NASA
- Dana Weigel, International Space Station deputy program manager, NASA
- Angela Hart, Commercial LEO Program manager, NASA
- Michael Suffredini, president and CEO, Axiom Space
- Derek Hassmann, operations director, Axiom Space
- Benjamin Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
This briefing will be via teleconference. Media must register to participate in this call. For details, please contact the Axiom Space media team at: media@axiomspace.com.
Friday, April 8
NASA’s mission responsibility is for integrated operations, which begin during the spacecraft’s approach to the International Space Station, continue during the crew’s eight days aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting science, education, and commercial activities, and conclude once Dragon exits the area of the space station.
1 a.m. – NASA docking coverage begins
2:45 a.m. (approximately) – docking
5 a.m. (approximately) – hatch opening and crew welcome ceremony
This advisory will be updated online as times are confirmed for events related to mission operations.
NASA will release a separate advisory to preview the Ax-1 farewell event and return coverage.
Quelle: NASA
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Update: 5.04.2022
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Axiom delays launch of all-private mission to the ISS until no earlier than April 8
UPDATE: Axiom Space announced Sunday night that the target launch time for the Axiom-1 mission had been pushed back until no earlier than Friday, April 8 at 11:17 a.m. EDT.
The company gave no specific reason for the delay but said the pre-launch processing work was continuing.
The first completely private mission to the International Space Station is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday.
The mission is the result of a deal between NASA and Houston-based Axiom Space, a private company that is also building its own space station to eventually host more researchers and space tourists.
The international crew members of the Axiom-1 (Ax-1) mission are scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule from pad 39A at KSC at 12:05 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 6.
Not the first, but an important first step
The AX-1 mission is not the first spaceflight mission to be funded completely privately. That distinction belongs to the SpaceX Inspiration4 three-day-long orbital journey that launched last year and was paid for by billionaire Jared Isaacman.
The AX-1 crew members are also not the first private citizens to ever board the ISS.
Since 2001, seven paying customers have previously visited the ISS flying with Russians aboard Soyuz rockets.
Ax-1 is, however, the first privately funded mission of private astronauts that will be conducted under an agreement between NASA and its commercial partners.
It is seen as a pivotal first step toward enabling the development of a commercial economy in space. A future where private companies can transport and host paying customers — be it NASA, private researchers, or even rich space tourists — on privately operated space stations.
“We are excited to see more people have access to spaceflight through this first private astronaut mission to the space station,” said Kathy Lueders, NASA associate administrator for human exploration and operations. “One of our original goals with the Commercial Crew Program, and again with our Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program, is that our providers have customers other than NASA to grow a commercial economy in low-Earth orbit.”
A private mission led by a professional astronaut
The four crew members of the first, all-private mission to the International Space Station, Axiom-1. Left to Right: Axiom Space Ax-1 Pilot Larry Connor, Commander … Show more
For three paying customers and one former NASA astronaut, the Ax-1 mission will be a 10-day long venture to space with an eight-day stay aboard the space station to conduct research and outreach.
“The first private crew to visit the International Space Station is a watershed moment in humanity’s expansion off the planet and we are glad to partner with NASA in making it happen,” said Axiom President and CEO Michael Suffredini.
Former professional NASA astronaut and Commander of the Ax-1 mission, Michael López-Alegría, leads the crew of four. He was born in Madrid, Spain, and will represent both the United States and Spain during the Ax-1 mission.
He has flown to space four times, was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2021, and has extensive experience with various private space enterprises.
Currently, López-Alegría is a vice president of Axiom Space and serves as the company's chief astronaut.
“The goal for the Ax-1 crew is to set a standard for all future private astronaut missions in terms of our preparation and professionalism,” López-Alegría said. “As the commander, I am proud of the work these crew members have put in to be ready to conduct meaningful work on the International Space Station and glad to see them meet the standards required of all astronauts flying to station since Expedition 1."
Meet the first crew of private astronauts
Axiom has emphasized that their private-astronaut missions are more than just space vacations for wealthy tourists.
Each Ax-1 crew member has partnered with various institutes to carry out scientific research or outreach in some capacity.
"This mission is very different from what you may of heard of in some of the recent, especially sub-orbital, missions. We are not space tourists. I think there is an important role for space tourism, but it is not what Axiom is about," said López-Alegría.
The men accompanying him on the Ax-1 mission — Mark Pathy, Larry Connor, and Eytan Stibbe — are all wealthy entrepreneurs and investors who reportedly paid $55 million each for the experience.
Pathy, Ax-1 mission specialist, is a CEO of a privately owned investment firm in Canada. He is also known for his philanthropy.
He will be the 12th Canadian in space and Canada's second private citizen to journey beyond the planet.
During the Ax-1 mission, he will conduct a number of research investigations and Earth-observation activities. His plans also include educational activities to contribute to the STEM curriculum for more than a dozen high schools across Montreal.
"I'm especially pumped about about the on-orbit activities and research. I've got a full slate of activities in areas that I'm deeply passionate about — health sciences, innovation and technology, education, the environment," he said.
In partnership with the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and six Canadian universities, he will contribute to ongoing research that looks to understand chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and changes in sight during human spaceflight.
He will also test drive a new method of mixed-reality communication between Earth and space. It involves two-way holoportation, or 3D projections, and special lenses.
Speaking about the demonstration that will be conducted for the first time aboard the ISS, "you can't beat I guess the sort of cool factor of the tech demo," said Pathy.
Finally, he will contribute Earth-observation data to the Royal Canadian Geographical Society to contribute to the understanding of climate change, specifically the environmental health of the Great Lakes.
Larry Connor, Ax-1 mission pilot, is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of a real estate investment firm.
He is also an adventure-seeker and private pilot who has climbed mountains and won multiple aerobatic and automotive competitions.
In April 2021 he completed another impressive feat, diving down nearly 36,000 feet in a submarine to explore the depths of the Mariana Trench.
According to Axiom Space, Connor will become the first private pilot not employed by NASA to board the ISS. He will also become the first person to reach space and the deepest depths of the ocean within 12 months.
Former NASA astronaut, Kathy Sullivan, the first American woman to conduct a spacewalk is the only person to have previously reached space and the deepest ocean depths. She, however, accomplished the feats 36 years apart.
In collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, Connor will help to conduct in-space cellular research and ground-based biomedical research by participating in "pre- and post-mission high-resolution MRIs to study the effects of the spaceflight environment on spinal and brain tissue."
Eytan Stibbe, Ax-1 mission specialist, is also a philanthropist, investor, and entrepreneur. He lives in Israel with his wife and three children and enjoys spending time with his four grandchildren.
He spent more than 40 years with the Israeli Air Force, mostly as a reservist serving as a fighter pilot while also pursuing a business career. In 2010, he founded Vital Capital investment fund to aid underserved populations in developing countries.
He also helped establish the Ramon Foundation to honor Ilan Ramon, the Israeli astronaut who died in the space shuttle Columbia accident in 2003. Stibbe served under Ramon in the Israeli Air Force.
Honoring his friend and one-time commander, he plans to take some personal items representing him and, "will be continuing an experiment that he started 19 years ago, mainly focused on observation of thunderstorms," Stibbe said.
His mission, "Raika," is one that "wholly embraces peace, innovation, and social responsibility," on behalf of the Ramon Foundation and in collaboration with the Israel Space Agency in the Israeli Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, according to Axiom Space.
"One of the biggest obstacles of space development is the price, the cost, of bringing things up to space. So the idea of industrial production in space is exciting," he said. "The experiments that I'm more prepared for, those where I'm more involved, they have to work inside the glove box or they have to deploy some equipment or produce things in space."
Trained to work and interact in space
"My crewmates have worked very hard. I've been super impressed with their diligence and their commitment. They're busy people, and they've taken a lot of time out of their lives to focus on this. And it's definitely not a vacation for them," explained López-Alegría.
"We have been the first crew to ever go through NASA's private astronaut syllabus and we have checked all of the mandatory boxes. We did that here at the Johnson Space Center," he added.
The training might not have been a vacation, but it has been rewarding the crew says.
"I'm sitting here with my crewmates. And I've become really close with over the past year or so preparation. This close to launch, it's really exciting," said Pathy about the training he and his crewmates have undergone. "It's been really at times, a very intense year, but incredibly stimulating. And the best is yet to come."
According to Suffredini, the private astronauts received "like eight weeks total training on the ISS. The other half of our training is done with our SpaceX friends and while we do endeavor to train to the same level as our NASA colleagues, I'm not sure that we do all the way up to that."
SpaceX Vice President Bill Gerstenmaier said, "the training is very thorough. And in terms of what we train them, in terms of (Crew) Dragon, it's basically the same as the training for our government astronauts."
A big part of the training focused on what the crew can — and can't — do while on the ISS.
"The crew has been trained on the systems they will need to interact with, including the research systems. So, they're fully trained on that. They're also trained on what not to interact with," said Suffredini.
It still remains determined how much interaction the Ax-1 crew will have with the Russian cosmonauts and the Russian segment of the ISS.
"The crew actually does have access to the entire International Space Station. However, they primarily will operate in the U.S. segment and in by invitation, the rest of the segments they'll be able to visit," said Suffredini.
"Axiom doesn't have specific agreements for activities on the Russian segment," said NASA's Dana Weigel, deputy manager of the International Space Station program. "The way we handle it onboard is by invitation. And so if the crews want to share a meal, they'll invite each other over. It's very much managed by the onboard crew and what activities they have going on."
NASA has already selected Axiom for a second private astronaut mission to the ISS. Former NASA astronaut and Axiom's current Director of Human Space Flight, Peggy Whitson, will command the second mission.
That one is targeted to launch sometime between fall 2022 and late spring 2023, depending on ISS availability.
Beyond its agreements with NASA, Axiom already has plans in the works to conduct a third mission and fourth private astronaut mission.
Suffredini expects that the fourth mission will host only paying customers, rather than three with the accompaniment of an Axiom employee and former NASA astronaut.
“We’re confident this mission will become not just a monumental moment in space travel, but the true beginning of making space’s potential for meaningful discovery available to private citizens and organizations for the first time,” said Suffredini.
Jamie Groh is a space reporter for Florida Today. You can contact her at JGroh@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie.
Michael López-Alegría
Occupation: Former NASA astronaut, Axiom Space VP & Chief Astronaut
Known for: Has flown to space four times and was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2021
From: Born in Spain, raised in the United States
Mission Designation: Axiom Space Ax-1 Commander
Mark Pathy
Occupation: Investment firm CEO and philanthropist
From: Canada
Mission Designation: Ax-1 Mission Specialist
Larry Connor
Occupation: Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of a real estate investment firm
From: United States
Mission Designation: Ax-1 Mission Pilot
Eytan Stibbe
Occupation: Philanthropist, investor, and entrepreneur
From: Israel
MIssion Designation: Ax-1 Mission Specialist
Quelle: Florida Today