Axiom Space to provide coverage for Ax-1, first all-private astronaut mission to International Space Station

Image courtesy of SpaceX

Last updated April 8, 2022

Launch webcast, extended coverage will feature an in-depth mission overview in advance of launch.

HOUSTON - Axiom Space, a leader in human spaceflight, now building the first commercial space station, has set prelaunch and launch coverage for its Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the world’s first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.

Liftoff is scheduled for Friday, April 8 at 11:17 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and will travel to and from the space station in a Dragon spacecraft. Prelaunch activities, launch, and docking coverage will air live at axiomspace.com beginning April 8 at 7:55 a.m. 

The Ax-1 crew members are 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.

During their 10-day mission, the crew will spend eight days on the International Space Station conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities. Ax-1 is the first of several proposed Axiom missions to the orbiting laboratory and an important step toward Axiom’s goal of constructing a private space station, Axiom Station, in low-Earth orbit that can serve as a global academic and commercial hub. 

Coverage of the Ax-1 launch will be available as follows (all times Eastern): 

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Friday, April 1

1:00 p.m. Ax-1 Crew Press Conference

This virtual press conference features Axiom leadership and the Ax-1 astronauts, participating from crew quarantine. Participants will make remarks and answer questions from the press. 

Participants include:  

• Michael Suffredini, President and CEO, Axiom Space

• Peggy Whitson, Director of Human Space Flight, Axiom Space

• Michael López-Alegría, Commander, Ax-1 

• Larry Connor, Pilot, Ax-1 

• Eytan Stibbe, Mission Specialist, Ax-1

• Mark Pathy, Mission Specialist, Ax-1

Recap:

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Thursday, April 7

No earlier than 3 pm – 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 (LRR), which evaluates the mission hardware and its readiness for launch. Watch live at axiomspace.com. 

Participants include: 

• Derek Hassmann, Operations Director, Axiom Space

• Dana Weigel, International Space Station Deputy Program Manager, NASA 

• Angela Hart, Commercial LEO Program Manager, NASA

• Benjamin Reed, Senior Director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX

• Launch Weather Officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force

Recap:

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Friday, April 8

7:55 a.m. – Launch Webcast Begins

The webcast will follow the journey of the four-person, multinational Ax-1 crew from crew walkout to liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:05 pm. It will continue until roughly 15 minutes after launch with stunning views of the spacecraft traveling to the International Space Station. Watch live at axiomspace.com

12:30 p.m. – Post-launch Media Briefing (targeted approximately one hour following launch) 

Leadership from Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX will participate in a post-launch media briefing to provide an update on the launch and mission operations. 

Participants include: 

• Michael Suffredini, President and CEO, Axiom Space

• Derek Hassmann, Operations Director, Axiom Space 

• Kathy Lueders, Associate Administrator for Space Operations, NASA

• Dana Weigel, International Space Station Deputy Program Manager, NASA

• Angela Hart, Commercial LEO Program Manager, NASA

• Benjamin Reed, Senior Director, Human Spaceflight Programs, Space

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TBD – In-Flight Event (will confirm no later than 15 minutes prior to the event start time)

Watch live at axiomspace.com/live

Pending crew schedule and ground station coverage, Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space Vice President and Ax-1 Commander, will participate in an in-flight event from the Dragon spacecraft. If we are not able to support an in-flight event, our next opportunity to check in with the crew will be after the webcast resumes, approximately two hours before the crew reaches the space station. 

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Saturday, April 9

5:30 a.m. (approximately) – Webcast Resumes, docking coverage begins

The Ax-1 webcast will resume approximately two hours in advance of the Ax-1 crew and SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docking with the International Space Station. Watch live at axiomspace.com.

7:30 a.m. – Docking (approximately)

Watch the crew arrive at the International Space Station live at axiomspace.com and on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. The Ax-1 webcast will cover events as the Ax-1 crew enters the International Space Station to begin an eight-day mission on the orbiting laboratory conducting science, education, and commercial activities.

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This advisory will be updated as times are confirmed for events related to mission operations. 

Follow along for mission updates with #Ax1 on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and on our website. 

About Axiom Space

Axiom Space is guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human-rated space infrastructure, Axiom operates end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while privately developing its successor – a permanent commercial destination in Earth’s orbit that will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home. More information about Axiom can be found at www.axiomspace.com.

For more information contact: 
Bettina Inclán 
Bettina.inclan@axiomspace.com

Axiom Space named on TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2022

TIME Magazine announced today that it has named Axiom Space as a pioneer on its annual list of the world’s most influential companies. Axiom is proud to share our vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere as we continue to expand the low Earth orbit economy with missions to the International Space Station and the progressing construction of Axiom Station, the next-gen platform for innovation and breakthroughs.

Axiom Space’s Mission Control Center Ready to Support Upcoming Ax-1 Mission to International Space Station

The Axiom Space Mission Control Center (MCC-A) is an integral part of the upcoming Ax-1 mission, responsible for engaging crew outreach and ensuring that research and scientific work with our payloads is accomplished. New photos of the space, located in the company’s Houston headquarters, allow a closer look at the ground facility that will support Ax-1 and future Axiom Space missions to the International Space Station (ISS). 

Throughout the 10-day Ax-1 mission, MCC-A will be staffed with knowledgeable Axiom specialists who will communicate with and support the Axiom astronauts onboard the ISS via voice and video capabilities. 

The MCC-A is registered and validated as a payload operations site. In January 2022, it conducted its first-ever on-orbit operation on the ISS, supporting the SQuARES payload’s scientific research. SQuARES, the Sampling Quadrangle Assemblages Research Experiment, treats the ISS as an archaeological site and documents how items located around the station change over time.

Take a virtual seat and explore MCC-A:

Ax-1 now targeted for no earlier than April 6th

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are now looking at no earlier than (NET) April 6 for the launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Launch is currently scheduled at 12:05 pm ET. 

NASA announced the news today on their space station blog: 

“…The next mission to the orbiting lab will be the Axiom Space-1 mission, or Ax-1, carrying a former NASA astronaut and three U.S. crew members. Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will be making his fifth visit to space and his third visit to the space station while commanding the first private mission for Axiom Space. He will lead first time space visitors Pilot Larry Connor and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy aboard Endeavour, during the vehicle’s second mission to the station. 

NASA teams supporting the Artemis I mission polled “go” today to proceed with the wet dress rehearsal, planned for Friday, April 1, through Sunday, April 3, on Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 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. For an April 6 launch, Ax-1 static fire would take place April 4. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission remains scheduled to launch no earlier than Tuesday, April 19…” 

All Ax-1 related activities will move accordingly. More details to come.   

Packing the Perfect Cosmic Picnic: Axiom, Chef José Andrés, ThinkFoodGroup Partner Ahead of Ax-1 Mission

CREDIT: THINKFOODGROUP

Food is fuel. It has the unique power to keep us energized, focused, and connected to the traditions and people that matter to us. However, when living in space, astronauts have limited tools and ingredients available to prepare appetizing and comforting meals.  

As the first all-private astronaut crew to travel to the International Space Station, the Ax-1 crew is charting new territory in space travel, exploration, and cuisine. To prepare the crew for the 10-day mission, we teamed up with Chef José Andrés of ThinkFoodGroup, a brand that shares our ethos of spurring innovations and striving for excellence. The collaboration arose from the friendship between Chef Andrés and fellow Spaniard and veteran astronaut Ax-1 Commander Michael López-Alegría.  

In the months leading up to the flight, Ax-1 crew members took part in sensory tests with Chef Andrés and members of the ThinkFoodGroup culinary team. These tests helped the ThinkFoodGroup team to devise meals well-suited to the astronauts’ dietary preferences. The Axiom and ThinkFoodGroup teams worked closely with scientists in the NASA Food Lab to ensure the items meet nutrition and preparation guidelines. 

The specially crafted meals lean on flavors and traditional dishes of Commander López-Alegría’s native Spain. For their first meal in space, Ax-1 astronauts will enjoy Arroz Estelle Valencia, a classic Spanish rice dish.  Later in the mission, the crew will eat Secreto de Cerdo with Pisto, a prized cut of Ibérico Pork with tomatoes, onions, eggplant, and peppers, and Chicken and Mushroom Paella, Spain's quintessential rice dish. 

ThinkFoodGroup also partnered with Spanish food brands Fermín and Albert Adrià to provide the astronauts with a selection of ham and almond snacks.   

While pre-packaged foods like nutrition bars travel easily to space, more substantial meals must be carefully prepared. The crew’s meals will be thermostabilized, or processed with heat and properly sealed, to prevent pathogen growth. However, these meals are sure to retain their bold, delicious flavors, even as they travel more than 250 miles away from home.  

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.

Ax-1 targeting new launch date, crew completes key prelaunch activities

Axiom Space and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than Sunday, April 3 – pending range availability – for launch of the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida After 10 days in orbit, including eight days living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Ax-1 crew will splash down off the coast of Florida. The new targeted launch date will allow teams to complete final spacecraft processing ahead of the mission.

Prelaunch activities are progressing, including the Ax-1 crew’s completion of a test drive Thursday, March 17, in the Dragon spacecraft they’ll fly aboard to and from the International Space Station. During the test drive – also known as the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) – the crew donned their spacesuits and entered Dragon Endeavour for the first time at SpaceX’s spacecraft processing facility in Florida.

Follow the mission

Axiom Space Ax-1 mission to expand health, technology researchers’ access to ISS

Self-assembling technology for future space habitats, cancer research, and devices to purify air on space stations are among investigations headed to the International Space Station on first all-private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory  

HOUSTON, 17 March 2022 – Axiom Space, a leader in human spaceflight now building the first commercial space station, announced today further details on the groundbreaking research planned for the upcoming Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) – including self-assembling technology for satellites and future space habitats, cancer stem cell study, and air purification. 

Ax-1, history’s first all-private astronaut mission to the ISS, is a pivotal first step toward Axiom Station, the first private space station. Axiom’s multinational crew of four private astronauts will conduct more than 25 different experiments while aboard the space station, made possible by Axiom’s full-service integration into the NASA process for science and technology activities. Data collected in-flight will impact understanding of human physiology on Earth and in orbit as well as establish the utility of novel technologies that could be used for future human spaceflight pursuits and humankind on Earth.  

“As the first step on a path to building a diverse, thriving economy in low-Earth orbit, Axiom has partnered with leaders in academia and industry to bring new users and new investigations in research to the space station,” said Christian Maender, director of In-space Manufacturing and Research for Axiom Space. “The collection of biological and technological tests during the Ax-1 mission represent a breadth of research that will inform everything from human health considerations to novel infrastructure and design for our future homes away from Earth, beginning with Axiom Station.” 

The Ax-1 crewmembers are Michael López-Alegría, commander; Larry Connor, pilot; and Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy, mission specialists. 

Select Ax-1 Mission Investigations

 

Credit: MIT Space Exploration Initiative / TU Dortmund Fraunhofer Institute
Artist’s depiction of a future TESSERAE self-assembling space station in orbit around Mars

TESSERAE, in collaboration with MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative and Aurelia Institute 

TESSERAE (Tessellated Electromagnetic Space Structures for the Exploration of Reconfigurable, Adaptive Environments) is a multi-year research program exploring self-assembly methods for in-space construction. Named after the small tiles in ancient Roman mosaics, the modular TESSERAE tiles can join to create a larger structure. TESSERAE tiles pack flat for launch; once activated, they form a robotic swarm of autonomous and self-assembling units used for on-demand construction, with future applications ranging from an extra room on a space station, to parabolic mirrors, to a home base on other worlds. The prototypes launching on the Ax-1 mission include an extensive suite of sensing and electro-permanent magnets that monitor diagnostics – provide insight into the quality of bonds between tiles – and drive conformations. This scaled demonstration will build on previous microgravity evaluations of the TESSERAE experiment to explore a new frontier for in-orbit construction of satellites and future space habitats. 

Modeling Tumor Organoids in Low-Earth Orbit, in collaboration with UC San Diego and the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine 

Using a human cancer stem cell nanobioreactor model (a vessel that accelerates cell growth conditions) and cancer stem cell reporter system, this investigation will leverage the accelerated aging aspects of the microgravity environment to evaluate early pre-cancer and cancer changes in tumor organoids. This cellular biology project is focused on identifying biomarkers for early detection and supports future aims of cancer stem cell research on the ISS. The Ax-1 crew will study cell samples under a high-resolution microscope to determine cell cycle activity in cancer growth. 

JAMSS Photocatalyst, in collaboration with JAMSS, Tokyo University of Science, and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

The Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS) photocatalyst air purification device will launch on Ax-1 for a technical demonstration to verify the performance of the improved filter. This experiment also will deploy a control device without photocatalytic LEDs, to evaluate the JAMSS photocatalytic filter. With an improved air filter, the JAMSS device will be able to clean the air on the ISS and remove cabin odor, using the power of light to safely convert volatile compounds in the air into carbon dioxide and water with the goal of improving the quality of life for living and working in space. JAMSS will be the only Japanese company with research on the Ax-1 mission.

Credit: Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation

Translational Research Institute for Space Health, a consortium of Baylor College of Medicine, Caltech, and MIT

Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) is conducting biomedical research on each of the crewmembers both before the launch and after their return to Earth. A variety of data will be collected, including physiological data, a battery of cognitive tests, balance and perception tests, and visual acuity tests. Increasing human health and performance is a goal of TRISH’s EXPAND (Enhancing eXploration Platforms and ANalog Definition) program, which compiles health data from private spaceflight into a centralized research database and broadens understanding of how space impacts human health and how to prepare humans for the demands of long-distance and long-duration space travel, including to the Moon and eventually, to Mars.  

Crew-supported Research 

 

Connor, Stibbe, and Pathy, each of whom has a long history of philanthropic involvement, also have partnered directly with research organizations in their regions on a range of human health and technology investigations, from aging and chronic pain to the first in-space demonstration of two-way holoportation, a mixed-reality app using special lenses to project images via hologram.

About Axiom Space 

Axiom Space is guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human-rated space infrastructure, Axiom operates end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while privately developing its successor – a permanent commercial destination in Earth’s orbit that will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home. More information about Axiom can be found at www.axiomspace.com. 

For more information contact: 
Bettina Inclán 
Jennifer Hernandez
media@axiomspace.com  

NASA Selects Second Private Astronaut Mission to Space Station

NASA has selected Axiom Space for the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. NASA will negotiate with Axiom on a mission order agreement for the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) targeted to launch between fall 2022 and late spring 2023.

The Verge - Axiom Space reveals science that will be done on first crewed flight to the ISS

Private space habitat company Axiom is revealing the science that the company’s first private astronauts will do when they travel to the International Space Station (ISS) next year. The research experiments include working with stem cells to gauge how space impacts aging as well as performing a two-way 3D hologram projection demonstration using a Microsoft HoloLens.

Axiom Space reveals robust microgravity research portfolio for first-ever private mission to visit International Space Station

Axiom Space, a leader in human spaceflight and human-rated space infrastructure, announced today the research underpinning its historic Ax-1 mission targeted for launch to the International Space Station in February 2022. On the first fully private mission to ever visit the ISS, the multinational crew of four private astronauts with Axiom’s Michael López-Alegría as commander will pioneer a new phase of microgravity utilization amongst non-government entities – laying the groundwork for a full realization of low-Earth orbit’s possibilities and bringing critical findings back down to Earth.

Axiom Space reveals winners of inaugural STARS Scholarship, incubating new ideas for microgravity research

If you could access a platform flying free from the shackles of gravity, what breakthrough idea could you bring to life?

On March 1, 2021, Axiom Space asked this question when announcing its inaugural STARS – Science Technology Art and Research in Space – Scholarship competition. Fifty-nine applications representing 105 individuals from 11 countries flooded in, positing new and potentially revolutionary ways to leverage the microgravity environment’s unique conditions to further human progress on Earth and in space.

Following careful consideration, Axiom is pleased to now announce and congratulate the projects and teams selected as the inaugural STARS Scholarship recipients.

The Microgravity Printed Circuit Board submitted by:

• Iyngkarran Kumar from Durham University (United Kingdom)

The printed circuit board (PCB) is the foundation of electronic devices; this project reimagines PCB manufacturing aided by the removal of gravitational forces, allowing for a broader range of production techniques that are not possible on Earth. This could, in turn, result in higher-performing and highly compact PCBs and thus breakthrough impacts on future electronic device development.

Radiation Deflecting Interactive Shield (RADISH) submitted by:

• Paulina Umansky, University of California Berkeley (United States)

• Alberto Meunier, Santa Monica College (United States)

• Angel Vasquez, Sacramento City College (United States)

This project aims to study and mature Radiation Deflecting Interactive Shields (RADISH), a compact, scalable radiation shielding system usable on almost any structure in space. This innovative technology, using powerful magnetic fields, is designed to detect incoming radiation and use the minimum amount of energy necessary to deflect – offering radical promise in enabling longer-duration human spaceflight and deep space exploration.

The Extreme Biominers submitted by:

• Arunava Poddar, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai (India)

• Anurup Mohanty, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai (India)

• Kashish Gupta, Government College for Girls, Ludhiana; Panjab University (India)

• Navaneel Sarangi, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata (India)

Biomining, a technique that uses microbes to mine waste or extract metals from rock ores, is used in various applications on Earth and has been demonstrated in space. This project proposes the use of extremophiles — microbes that thrive in extreme environments — as "miner microbes" to perform biomining in a realistic space environment with multiple extremes like radiation, low pressure, and fluctuating temperatures, with the potential to solve many of space mining’s technological and logistical challenges.

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Each team will receive a $1,000 USD cash prize toward further project development and/or for scholarship funds.

Tech Crunch - The Googler who came to monetize space

Following its billion-dollar valuation earlier this year, Axiom Space, builder of the next International Space Station, recruited Google’s Tejpaul Bhatia to become its first chief revenue officer, responsible for the growth and monetization of the space ecosystem.