The US space exploration technology company SpaceX and private space startup Axiom Space signed a so-called “batch agreement”, SpaceX will use the manned Dragon spacecraft to execute for the latter before 2023 Three private missions to the International Space Station.
Although the two companies have not disclosed the specific terms of the agreement, this marks one of the largest transactions in the booming private aerospace industry to date and will make the International Space Station’s schedule in the coming years even busier.
The time interval between these three missions is about 6 months. Prior to this, Axiom will use the Crew Dragon spacecraft to send the “all civilian” astronaut team to the International Space Station for the first time in January 2022. This mission is called Ax- 1. Ax-2 is the second manned mission of Axiom and will be led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. The personnel for Ax-3 and Ax-4 have not been announced. All flights will include a stop at the International Space Station.
Axiom declined to disclose the specific value of the agreement signed with SpaceX, which has been in the making for several months and was officially signed in recent weeks. SpaceX did not respond to an email seeking comment. The mission time and other details need to be approved by NASA, which manages the schedule of the International Space Station.
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SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement: “The new era of manned spaceflight has arrived. The growing partnership between Axiom and SpaceX will provide more people with access to space. Helping humans take the road to multi-planetary species.” Obviously, she was referring to the goal of SpaceX founder Elon Musk to colonize Mars.
Headquartered in Houston, Axiom was founded in 2016 by Mike Suffredini, the former senior manager of NASA’s space station project. For Axiom, these initial manned missions will serve as a “pioneer mission” for the company’s core project of building a commercial International Space Station module. The first module is scheduled to be installed in 2024. Safridini also said that these missions will keep the company in orbit as planned for the commercial space station.
SpaceX said in a statement: “All four civilian astronauts will receive joint commercial astronaut training from NASA and SpaceX. SpaceX will provide training related to the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Crew Dragon spacecraft, emergency preparedness training, and space suits. And spacecraft in and out exercises and partial and full simulations.”
The Crew Dragon spacecraft was developed by SpaceX in accordance with NASA’s “Commercial Crew Program” (Commercial Crew Program), and the contract is worth about $3 billion. The plan aims to reduce the United States’ dependence on Russian spacecraft and to re-send astronauts into space in the United States.
Since May 2020, SpaceX has launched three astronauts in accordance with the plan, and another four are about to launch. Boeing is the second company to participate in NASA’s “Commercial Astronaut Program”, but the development progress of its interplanetary spacecraft is significantly behind, and it is likely to conduct its first manned mission before the end of the year.
Adding four more private missions scheduled by Axiom to the pace of SpaceX’s commercial manned flight will make the schedule of the International Space Station even busier. The International Space Station has only two docking ports, which are compatible with the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Starline spacecraft.
Due to the advancement of the flight plan of the interplanetary spacecraft, NASA stated that it only allows private astronauts to go to the International Space Station twice a year. It is unclear whether all four Axiom missions will be approved. NASA did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
NASA’s International Space Station project manager Joel Montalbano (Joel Montalbano) said at a press conference on SpaceX’s upcoming cargo mission: “We continue to be very busy on the International Space Station, and NASA’s partnership with commercial companies is changing. The way we look at low-Earth orbit.”
Ax-1 is not the first time SpaceX has launched a space manned mission composed entirely of civilians. Billionaire Jared Isaacman has already booked a flight for the Crew Dragon spacecraft and plans to launch it in September this year. Empty, named “Inspiration4”. However, this mission will not dock with the space station. Isaacman and his three partners will take the spacecraft to orbit the earth for three days and then return.
At the same time, Ax-1 is not the first time space tourists have visited the International Space Station. From 2001 to 2009, seven paying users took the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the space station eight times, of which Charles Simonyi flew twice.
If the plan goes well, the Soyuz will send civilians to the International Space Station twice before the end of this year. Among them, Russian director Klim Shipenko and actor Yulia Peresild (Yulia Peresild) plan to launch in September this year, and Japanese billionaire Maesawa Yusaku has already served as himself and his assistant. Hirano Yozo has booked a flight and plans to take off in December.
