In the first groundbreaking partnership between an Italian luxury fashion house and a commercial space company, Axiom Space, industry leader and architect of the world’s first commercial space station, announces a collaboration with Prada on NASA's lunar spacesuits for the Artemis III mission.
Private spaceflight specialist Axiom Space on Wednesday announced a deal with SpaceX that added three more crewed flights to the International Space Station, bringing its total planned missions through Elon Musk’s company to four.
“We are beyond excited to build upon our partnership with Axiom to help make human spaceflight more accessible for more people,” SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement. “A new era in human spaceflight is here.”
Commercial human spaceflight. Space Tourism. Whatever you call it – it’s happening. And soon.
Today, Axiom Space, which had previously announced the AX-1 private commercial mission to the International Space Station (ISS), today announced that they have penned a deal for three more fully commercial missions aboard SpaceX spacecraft to ISS between early 2022 and 2023.
Retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson has spent more time in space than any American in history. Now she's planning a trip back, this time through a commercial flight. Mark Strassmann has the story.
Peggy Whitson, one of NASA’s most experienced retired astronauts, is going back to space — this time with a racecar driver and two other passengers in the latest mission planned by Axiom Space. The Houston-based space company announced on Tuesday that Whitson will serve as the mission commander for its second private flight to the International Space Station, with John Shoffner, a GT racer, serving as mission pilot.
Axiom Space Inc., which is preparing a private flight to the International Space Station in January, has tapped veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson to lead its second planned mission.
Whitson, who retired from NASA in 2018 after 22 years, will lead a crew of three others on the second trip in late 2022 or 2023. John Shoffner, an airplane pilot and race-car entrepreneur from Knoxville, Tennessee, will join her as pilot for the voyage, Axiom said in a statement Tuesday. Two other crew members will be named later for the trip, which is known as Ax-2.
Axiom Space on Tuesday announced that retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and auto racer John Shoffner will lead the company’s second private spaceflight to the International Space Station, tentatively scheduled for the second half of 2022.
Peggy Whitson, America's most experienced astronaut, and veteran GT3-class race car driver John Shoffner, a long-time pilot, will anchor a four-person crew launching to the International Space Station aboard Axiom Space's second commercial trip to orbit, the company announced Tuesday.
Axiom Space on Tuesday revealed the commander and pilot of its second commercial mission proposed to fly to the International Space Station and announced the proposed crew’s intended research while on orbit. Axiom will compete to fly the Ax-2 mission when NASA announces the next private astronaut mission opportunity. If awarded, Ax-2 will further the Houston-based space infrastructure leader’s expansion of the commercial human spaceflight market and cement the research opportunities it can make possible for private industry in low-Earth orbit.
Outer space is rapidly becoming Outer Space, Inc., as the rise of private launch providers is making it increasingly easy to turn a buck in an industry that was once exclusively a not-for-profit government operation. The commercialization of low-Earth orbit took a big step forward yesterday, with NASA’s announcement that the space agency has inked a deal with Houston-based Axiom Space, in which Axiom will fly the first purely commercial crew to the International Space Station (ISS)—and pay NASA handsomely for the privilege.
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.
For information about the Ax-1 mission, visit:
https://www.axiomspace.com/ax1
For more information about NASA’s commercial low-Earth orbit economy effort, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/leo-economy
Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov
Gary Jordan
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
gary.j.jordan@nasa.gov
Beau Holder
Axiom Space, Houston
beau@axiomspace.com
NASA and Houston-based Axiom Space have signed a "mission order" setting the stage for four civilians to visit the International Space Station early next year, the first fully commercial flight to the orbiting lab complex, agency managers said Monday.
Axiom Space revealed Monday that Coalition for Deep Space Exploration founder and former President/CEO Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar, known for her influential role in national policy toward human space exploration and commercial space development, has joined the Houston-based space infrastructure leader as Executive Vice President, Government Affairs.
At Axiom, which is currently constructing the world’s-first commercial low-Earth orbit (LEO) destination that will succeed the International Space Station (ISS), she will direct the company’s policy objectives and strategic advocacy with local, state, and federal government authorities.
“I am excited to be joining the team of experts I believe will accomplish the necessary next steps to ensure a permanent U.S. presence in low Earth orbit,” Dittmar said. “Axiom is leading the development of next-generation space infrastructure to meet the needs of industry, science, and the government. The opportunities it will create for a global user base are boundless.”
An established thought leader in the space industry, she sits on the National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group, the Space Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC). Through her work with the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration and her own consulting group, Dittmar Associates, she has served as one of the industry’s top representatives to the White House and Congress and been a senior adviser to multiple NASA mission directorates, the ISS Program, and various aerospace companies supporting the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Defense, and NASA.
Her previous experience also includes roles as Senior Policy Advisor for the ISS National Laboratory, Member of the Board of Directors at the American Astronautical Society, and managing the Flight Operations Group and serving as the Chief Scientist for Commercial Payloads on the ISS Program at Boeing.
Dittmar’s addition bolsters an Axiom team already laden with specialized expertise in human spaceflight and deep experience in the design, construction, assembly, and operation of the ISS. She will report directly to President & CEO Michael Suffredini.
“Mary Lynne is one of the truest visionaries, leaders, and representatives our industry has ever had,” Suffredini said. “NASA and the whole of the U.S. government are valued partners in our efforts to preserve American leadership in space and open the floodgates of economic development and innovation in microgravity. She will tirelessly advocate for this vision and serve as an essential strategic voice. We are beyond thrilled to welcome her.”
In selecting Axiom in January 2020 to attach its own privately developed modules to ISS, NASA marked the Houston company a key driver of its efforts to commercialize LEO through public-private partnership. Once constructed as a new segment of the ISS, the Axiom Station will separate when the ISS is decommissioned and form the core infrastructure layer of the LEO economy – an industrial park in orbit offering space infrastructure as a service, opportunities for microgravity manufacturing and research, and accommodations for national and private astronauts.
About Axiom Space
Axiom Space is guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leader in providing space infrastructure as a service, Axiom offers 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.
Inquiries: beau@axiomspace.com
SpaceX launched another group of astronauts for NASA early on Friday morning, with Elon Musk’s company now having sent 10 astronauts to space in under a year. Lisa Rich is founder and managing partner of Hemisphere Ventures and was an early investor in Axiom Space, which is partnering with SpaceX on a commercial space station. She joined “Squawk Box” on Friday to discuss the project.
Axiom Space CEO Michael T. Suffredini speaks with Dr. Ariel Ekblaw, founder and Director of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative at the Beyond the Cradle virtual event.
Private investment in space companies hit $1.9 billion in the first quarter, according to a report on Wednesday by New York-based firm Space Capital.
“The trend towards larger late-stage deals continued in Q1, with the top 10 rounds accounting for 77% of total investment,” Space Capital managing partner Chad Anderson wrote in the report.
The Angry Astronaut interviews Christian Maender, Director of In Space Manufacturing and Research.
Axiom Space announces the STARS - Science Technology Art and Research in Space - Scholarship.
The International Space Station, orbiting at 250 miles above Earth at 17,500 mph has been an international treasure for experimentation and discovery for over 20 years. The unique weightless environment in orbit, commonly known as “microgravity,” is a result of the space station’s continuous freefall around the planet. More than 3,000 experiments conducted aboard ISS have unveiled novel insights about biological and physical phenomenon and inspired many of today’s most noteworthy innovations, from cell phone cameras to water purification systems.
Axiom Space is building the first-ever commercial space station, which will launch into Low Earth Orbit in 2024 and serve as a state-of-the-art orbital laboratory for conducting research, manufacturing products, and capturing Earth observation data. As humanity sizes up its future out amongst the Solar System, Axiom Station will also provide a unique extreme environment for critical testing that will enable deep space exploration.
During the past 25 years, Internet-based platform innovations such as apps and global connectivity have changed our everyday lives. We believe microgravity is the next platform with such transformative potential. When the effects of gravity are eliminated, behavior of biological systems is altered at even the most fundamental level – the gene – in all living organisms (for example animals, plants, yeast, bacteria, viruses). Physical properties of materials change. While on Earth, objects fall to the ground or heavier materials sink to the bottom of a container due to gravity. In weightlessness, materials mix more evenly.
In providing access to this promising environment, Axiom Station will be a place of infinite possibilities. If you could access this orbital lab, free from the shackles of gravity, what idea could you bring to life?
According to Morgan Stanley, “The revenue generated by the global space industry may increase to more than $1 trillion by 2040.” With the Axiom Space STARS Scholarship, we hope to encourage students like you to take an entrepreneurial view and imagine your own contribution to the emerging LEO economy and the future of our society. We invite you to share your possibilities with us.
Eligibility
Anyone is welcome to submit an entrepreneurial idea. However, to be eligible to receive the scholarship prize, you must confirm:
You are at least 18 years of age and an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in a degree program in November 2021.
Your proposal is original. You developed the concept and authored the proposal.
You are a citizen of the world (US citizenship is not a requirement).
You are Visionary. Imaginative. Passionate.
Axiom Space is supporting ASGSR in its mission to encourage exchange of ideas by bringing together a diverse group of individuals to translate basic research into applied technologies for space. All this so that we can build a thriving home for humanity in space.
Awards
Three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded. Students are welcome to apply as individuals or in teams. Prizes will be divided equally among stated team members.
Timeline
The Axiom Space STARS Scholarship closed on June 30th at 11:59 PM HST. Finalists will be announced in November.
One of the new space startups with the loftiest near-term goals has raised $130 million in a Series B round that demonstrates investor confidence in the scope of its ambitions: Axiom Space, which has been tapped by NASA to add privately developed space station modules to the ISS, announced the new funding led by C5 Capital.
This is the latest in a string of high-profile announcements for Axiom, which was founded in 2016 by a team including space professionals with a history of demonstrated expertise working on the International Space Station. Eventually, Axiom hopes to go from adding the first private commercial modules to the existing station, to creating their own, wholly private on-orbital platforms — for research, space tourism and more.
Houston-based Axiom Space is going full tilt into scaling production of private space stations, while also flying paying passengers on trips to orbit, with the company announcing Tuesday it received $130 million in a new round of funding.
“This round lets us go make a major payment in the build of our [space station] module and lets us build up the team, which we’ve been expanding at just a crazy pace,” Axiom President and CEO Michael Suffredini told CNBC.