Dragon

Axiom signs deal with SpaceX to launch four Space Tourists aboard Crew Dragon

Axiom Space, a start-up from Houston, Texas, signed a deal with SpaceX to launch the crew of four private passengers atop a Falcon 9 rocket aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft. They will embark on a 10-day voyage to the International Space Station (ISS) sometime during the second half of 2021.

Axiom is actively training the three private passengers that will fly with a professionally trained astronaut commander. Dragon will ferry them towards the Space Station where they will stay for at least 8 days to experience micro-gravity and witness incredible views of Earth from orbit.

“This history-making flight will represent a watershed moment in the march toward universal and routine access to space,” Axiom Chief Executive Officer Michael Suffredini said in a press release. “This will be just the first of many missions to ISS to be completely crewed and managed by Axiom Space – a first for a commercial entity. Procuring the transportation marks significant progress toward that goal, and we’re glad to be working with SpaceX in this effort.”

Axiom says the spaceflight will also include “training, mission planning, hardware development, life support, medical support, crew provisions, hardware and safety certifications, on-orbit operations and overall mission management.”

Axiom Space plans to coordinate their missions with NASA under a Space Act Agreement, to establish more private astronaut flights to ISS. They would like to fly two private citizen missions per year. SpaceX has demonstrated reliability to fly cargo to the orbiting laboratory aboard their Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft for nearly a decade. Axiom trusts SpaceX's engineering and technology to carry out their missions. The aerospace company successfully launched a pair of NASA astronauts to ISS during their first crewed mission in May, and the spacecraft returned them safely early August – heralding a new era in American human spaceflight. Now, SpaceX is preparing to deploy more astronauts in September.

SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell stated:

“… Thanks to Axiom and their support from NASA, privately crewed missions will have unprecedented access to the space station, furthering the commercialization of space and helping usher in a new era of human exploration.”

Axiom did not release details on how much it will pay SpaceX to fly its four-person crew to the orbiting laboratory next year. However, Dragon has a price-tag of around $55 million per seat, and NASA said last year it opened a path for commercial trips to the Space Station, stating it would charge $35,000 per person per day for private stays.

The company also did not release details on who will be flying on the mission, but did say its commander will be trained by Axiom to the level of a NASA astronaut.

About the Author

Evelyn Arevalo

Evelyn Arevalo

Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.

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