![]() "During this review, NASA will assess the maturity of the Axiom Space design and provide feedback necessary to ensure safe operations when it is attached to the International Space Station," agency officials wrote. The first Axiom module, called Axiom Hab One, will have a critical design review in 2024.11), included this information about potential future private outposts: NASA's most recent update on the commercial space stations, issued on Monday (Dec. (Since 2021, Northrop Grumman stopped its independent project to join the private Starlab station concept.) NASA has said repeatedly that it is doing its best to avoid any gap for low-Earth orbit operations after the ISS' retirement. NASA funded three coalitions in December 2021 to encourage the development of commercial space stations that could succeed the ISS, which is now expected to retire at the end of 2030. "The more we do these kinds of missions aboard the space station, the clearer the picture becomes of how NASA and industry will work together," said NASA's Angela Hart, manager of the agency's commercial low Earth orbit development program. Axiom is planning to put a set of private modules on the ISS, starting in 2026, that will eventually detach to create a free-flying space station. ![]() "That has also helped solidify the camaraderie within the team," he said.īoth Axiom and NASA representatives said the company's space excursions are helping prepare for future missions with agency astronauts and commercial astronauts working alongside each other. López-Alegría also paid tribute to a two-week expedition the crew had with the National Outdoor Leadership School, an entity that NASA also uses for astronaut training in wilderness environments akin to the isolated conditions one encounters in space. The Ax-3 crew has exceeded their training hours, including all safety procedures, and the training has shifted to put more emphasis on the tools the crew uses every day. López-Alegría, however, emphasized in Wednesday's call that lessons learned since April 2022 should allow Ax-3 to complete its 30 assigned experiments in two weeks. (Image credit: SpaceX)Īx-1 crew members required assistance from the ISS agency astronauts to complete all of that mission's objectives. Related: Axiom Space names Ax-3 astronaut crew for SpaceX mission to ISSĪ Spacex crew dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket. It will be López-Alegría's sixth mission, Villadei's second and the first for Wandt and Gezeravcı. Walter Villadei, who flew to suborbital space on Virgin Galactic's first commercial launch in June Marcus Wandt of Sweden, a European Space Agency project astronaut and Turkey's first citizen in space, Alper Gezeravcı. Joining López-Alegría will be Italian Air Force Col. (All private crewed missions to the ISS need a retired NASA astronaut at the helm, per agency rules.) (Most international spaceflight partnerships with Russia have vanished except for ISS agency work, which continues for larger policy reasons.)Īs for Ax-3: The crew will be led by former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, a dual U.S.-Spanish citizen who also commanded Ax-1 in 2022 and now serves as the company's chief astronaut. India is developing its own crewed capability (which may or may not be available for ISS), while the European Space Agency is eager to launch its own astronauts at some point.Īxiom Space is unlikely to use Russia's Soyuz spacecraft for ISS missions due to international difficulties, as Russia's unsanctioned invasion of Ukraine in 2022 continues. Sierra Space's Dream Chaser space plane has been approved for uncrewed missions to the ISS later in the decade, but it may also carry astronauts one day. ![]() That said, it will take years for other systems to be available for space station missions. Elon Musk's company is therefore responsible for roughly half of global launch activity this year (though most SpaceX launches have been dedicated to building out the company's Starlink satellite-internet constellation).īoeing's Starliner, however, may be ready to bring astronauts to the ISS as soon as 2024, following years of delays. SpaceX is by far the dominant launch provider in the world, launching more than 90 crewed and uncrewed orbital missions in 2023 already.
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