Axiom Space shares glimpse of its brand new Mission Control Centre before April 6 flight

Axiom Space is nearing its first-ever private astronaut mission, which will be conducted in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX. The mission named Ax-1 would carry four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for an eight-day stay on April 6. Needless to say, the stakes are high for Axiom and to ensure success in their feat, the company has developed a world-class Mission Control Center. Axiom shared glimpses of the Control Center named MCC-A, which it says is "an integral part of the upcoming Ax-1 mission". 

Axiom even shared a unique virtual option for the viewers to explore the Control Center in 360-degree, which can be experienced through the company's website link in the tweet above. 

(Image: Axiom Space)

(Image: Axiom Space)

(Image: Axiom Space)

The company says that the MCC-A would de responsible for engaging crew outreach and ensuring that research and scientific work by Ax-1 astronauts is accomplished aboard the 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", Axiom said in a statement. 

Located in Houston, Texas, the Control Center conducted its first-ever on-orbit operation on the ISS in January 2022. According to the company, it supported the SQuARES (Sampling Quadrangle Assemblages Research Experiment) payload scientific research. Under this experiment, the ISS was treated as an archaeological site and the change in the items located around the station was documented. 

What is the Ax-1 mission about?

The Ax-1 mission would carry a former NASA astronaut and three space tourists into space inside a SpaceX Dragon capsule for an eight-day stay at the space station. The crew members are- Axiom VP and ex-NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, along with entrepreneurs Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe. While Lopez-Algeria will serve as the mission commander, Pathy and Stibbe will serve as mission specialists apart from Connor who is the pilot. These four would also carry out a total of 25 science experiments and would carry out as many as they can during their course of ISS stay.

Image: Twitter/@AxiomSpace