FLORIDA, USA — In a year of many firsts for space, another history-making moment is on the horizon.
NASA and Axiom signed an order in May that would make way for the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
The mission will take place no earlier than January 2022, the space agency reports.
“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.
Axiom Mission 1, or Ax-1, will head to the orbiting laboratory from Florida's coast at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The ever-popular commercial space company, SpaceX will be responsible for transporting the private crew into space.
The four-person crew is set to spend eight days on the ISS where they will perform "in-orbit" activities coordinated by NASA and Axiom mission planners.
To complete the mission, Axiom is purchasing crew supplies, cargo delivery space, storage and other daily in-orbit resources from NASA. In return, NASA is purchasing the capability to bring scientific samples, that must be kept cold, back to Earth from Axiom.
“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.”
According to a press release, Axiom has proposed Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe as crew members for the mission. The private astronauts will go through a review, medical qualification testing and pre-flight training before leaving the planet they call home.
"Trainers will familiarize the private astronauts with systems, procedures, and emergency preparedness for the space station and the Crew Dragon spacecraft," NASA wrote.
Mission planning has the crew's training scheduled to begin this summer.
The announcement comes as NASA is continuing to open the space station up to commercial activities in an effort to "develop a robust and competitive economy in low-Earth orbit."
Other contracts Axiom has with NASA include, providing at least one habitable commercial module that will be attached to a port on the International Space Station's Harmony node in late 2024.
What other people are reading right now:
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter
