NASA approves crew for Axiom Space's first private mission to International Space Station

NASA has officially approved the astronaut crew of Axiom Space's first private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) which is scheduled for launch on March 31. The crew comprises of four members and would liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Named Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the mission would last 10 days and the astronauts would conduct multiple experiments during their ISS stay.

'I am proud of the work', says Ax-1 mission commander

Former NASA astronaut and Ax-1 mission commander Michael López-Alegría said that their forthcoming mission is to set a standard in terms of preparation and professionalism that would be followed by future private missions. "As the commander, I am proud of the work these crew members have put in to be ready to conduct meaningful work on the International Space Station and glad to see them meet the standards required of all astronauts flying to station since Expedition 1", López-Alegría, who is also the Vice President of Axiom Space, said as per NASA's statement. 

The other crew members include entrepreneurs and investors, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe. Where Connor has been assigned the job of a pilot, Pathy and Stibbe will serve as mission specialists. To prepare for this mission, the crew members have been training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and other NASA facilities since August 2021. During their training, the crew members familiarised themselves with station systems, scientific facilities, and emergency procedures. Axiom had previously informed that the crew members have personally chosen 25 science experiments, focusing on science, education, and outreach, that they will conduct during their stay. Multiple media reports even suggest that each of the crew members paid $55 million for the upcoming space trip.

Interestingly, Axiom has already bagged a NASA contract for a second ISS mission named Ax-2, which will take place no earlier than February 21, 2023. Detailing on the Axiom's selection for a second mission, the US space agency had said, "NASA evaluated the mission proposal based on Axiom’s ability to execute it successfully, NASA’s ability to support it, and its contribution to the agency’s mission and goal of low-Earth orbit commercialization". 

(Image: Axiom Space)