Posted on 09/19/2022 7:01:00 AM PDT by BenLurkin
In April of this year, the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station was successfully conducted when Axiom Space sent four non-NASA astronauts to space during the 17-day Axiom-1 Mission (Ax-1). Based on the endeavor’s success, NASA and Axiom Space have signed an agreement for the second such mission to the ISS, which will take place in the second quarter of 2023.
The Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon crew spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once docked to the ISS, the private astronauts are scheduled to spend 10 days conducting in-orbit activities, such as science experiments and educational outreach. NASA said that for the second mission, 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.
Ax-1 sent former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría and paying passengers Larry Connor, Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe to space. This was the first mission with paying customers taking advantage of NASA’s plan to open the ISS to crews of commercial astronauts. It was the first all-private mission in the 21-year history of the space station.
Axiom Space’s ultimate plan is to build their own space station, which would be the world’s first commercial space station.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
No complimentary breakfasts though.
Coffee in the room. That’s all I ask.
“No complimentary breakfasts though.”
Having traveled continuously for work for 30 years, there is nothing more barf inducing than complimentary breakfast. About as healthy as drinking bleach. No matter how podunk the town, there is always a better place to eat.
Each of these private missions really juice the system, giving good “rent” money to NASA in the near term with Axiom, and super charging the private space industry with motivation to keep growing and innovating fast. Axiom plans to build a private space station asap. Next five years are going to be fun to watch.
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