Axiom Space, Inc., also known as Axiom, is an American privately funded space infrastructure developer headquartered in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Founded in 2016 by Michael T. Suffredini and

Kam Ghaffarian Kamal (Kam) Ghaffarian is an American businessman known as the founder of IBX, Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines, and X-energy. Ghaffarian was born in Iran and came to the United States at age 17. He holds dual B.S. degree in Computer Science and ...

, the company first flew a spaceflight in 2022:

Axiom Mission 1 Axiom Mission 1 (or Ax-1) was a privately funded and operated crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was operated by Axiom Space out of Axiom's Mission Control Center MCC-A in Houston, Texas. The flight launched ...

, the first commercially crewed

private spaceflight Private spaceflight is spaceflight or the development of spaceflight technology that is conducted and paid for by an entity other than a government agency. In the early decades of the Space Age, the government space agencies of the Soviet Unio ...

to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

. The company aims to own and operate the world's first commercial

space station A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station i ...

in 2025. The company's employees include former

NASA Administrator The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the highest-ranking official of NASA, the national space agency of the United States. The administrator is NASA's chief decision maker, responsible for providing clarity to ...

Charles Bolden Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (born August 19, 1946) is a former Administrator of NASA, a retired United States Marine Corps Major General, and a former astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions. He graduated from the United States Naval A ...

and astronauts

Michael Lopez-Alegria Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

and Brent W. Jett Jr. The company sent its first

commercial astronauts A commercial astronaut is a person who has commanded, piloted, or served as an active crew member of a privately funded spacecraft. This is distinct from an otherwise non-government astronaut, for example Charlie Walker, who flies while represe ...

into orbit in 2022. It also plans

human spaceflight Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...

for government-funded and commercial astronauts engaging in in-space research, in-space manufacturing, and

space exploration Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration though is conducted both by robotic spacec ...

History

Axiom Space CEO Michael T. Suffredini was previously the program manager for the

from 2005 to 2015. After retiring from NASA, Suffredini and Kam Ghaffarian started Axiom to target the emerging

commercial spaceflight Private spaceflight is spaceflight or the development of spaceflight technology that is conducted and paid for by an entity other than a government agency. In the early decades of the Space Age, the government space agencies of the Soviet Unio ...

market. Ghaffarian is an engineer and entrepreneur who sold his company, Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Inc., a large NASA contractor, to KBR in 2018. The company was selected by NASA to provide the first commercial destination module on the International Space Station. Axiom also announced in March 2020 a contract with

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...

to fly commercial astronauts to the

(ISS) via

Falcon 9 Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX. The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payl ...

and

Crew Dragon Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, primarily for flights to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has also launched private missions such as Insp ...

scheduled for March 2022; launch took place 8 April 2022 and crew returned on 25 April. The company had 110 employees as of February 2021, with offices located in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

NASA contract for ISS modules

In 2020, as part of the broader

Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) is a NASA program using a public-private partnership model that seeks commercial development of deep space exploration capabilities to support more extensive human space flight missi ...

(NextSTEP)

cislunar Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, predo ...

initiative,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

awarded Axiom a US$140 million contract to provide at least one habitable

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...

to attach to the International Space Station. Axiom was the only selected proposal from the solicitation process due in 2019.

Bigelow Aerospace Bigelow Aerospace is an American aeronautics and outer space technology company which manufactures and develops expandable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow in 1998, and is based in North Las Vegas, Nevada. ...

did not submit a proposal and has subsequently ceased operations. The modules constructed by Axiom are designed to attach to the ''Harmony'' forward port with the intent to demonstrate an ability to commercially provide services and products in the

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...

economy. The "Axiom Segment" of the station was planned, , to include a node module to act as a connector, a research and manufacturing facility, a crew habitat, and a "large-windowed" module for viewing the Earth.

Axiom Station

Axiom Station intends to have its

modules individually launched and assembled in-orbit, first attaching to the

. Before ISS retirement (and

atmospheric reentry Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: ''uncontrolled entry'', such as the entr ...

), the company plans to detach its modules and commence orbit on its own as Axiom Station. Axiom renderings from 2020 illustrate how modules might be berthed and relocated on the ISS by the

Mobile Servicing System The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, supp ...

, specifically the

Canadarm2 The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, supp ...

. Canadarm2 might also continue its operations on the Axiom Space Station after the retirement of ISS in late 2020s. The company is currently targeting late 2025 for the launch of its first module to the ISS and the late-2020s for station completion. Axiom plans to conduct astronaut training for

commercial astronaut A commercial astronaut is a person who has commanded, piloted, or served as an active crew member of a privately funded spacecraft. This is distinct from an otherwise non-government astronaut, for example Charlie Walker, who flies while represe ...

s, to host governments and commercial partners. Up to three Axiom modules could attach to the International Space Station. The first module is expected to dock to the forward port of ''Harmony'', which would require relocation of the

PMA-2 The Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) is a class of spacecraft adapters that convert the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) used on the US Orbital Segment to APAS-95 docking ports. There are three PMAs located on the International Space Station (IS ...

. Axiom Space plans to attach up to two additional modules to its initial core module, and send private astronauts to visit the modules. Axiom Earth Observatory interior

The interior for Axiom Station was designed in 2018 by French architect

Philippe Starck Philippe Starck (; born 18 January 1949) is a French industrial architect and designer known for his wide range of designs, including interior design, architecture, household objects, furniture, boats and other vehicles. Life Starck was born on ...

. Renderings of the habitat show a chamber with walls that are covered with tufted padding and studded with hundreds of color-changing LEDs. Axiom has publicly stated an intent to maintain at least one astronaut in the station continuously, who will be assigned to take care of research projects and station repairs. This includes amenities like high-speed Wi-Fi, video screens, picture windows, and a glass-walled cupola.

Human spaceflight

Axiom plans to provide

services to people, corporations, and

space agencies This is a list of government agencies engaged in activities related to outer space and space exploration. As of 2022, 77 different government space agencies are in existence, 16 of which have launch capabilities. Six government space agencies ...

. Missions to the International Space Station are offered by Axiom, with a 10-day mission including 15 weeks of training. In addition to training, Axiom states that the package will include mission planning, hardware development, life support, medical support, crew provisions, hardware and safety certifications, on-orbit operations, and mission management. Missions could extend for longer periods of time depending on the focus of the spaceflight. In June 2020,

Jim Bridenstine James Frederick Bridenstine (born June 15, 1975) is an American military officer and politician who served as the 13th administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Bridenstine was the United States representative fo ...

said Axiom was involved with the filming of a

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

movie to the ISS with SpaceX expected to be the transportation partner for the flights.

Astronauts

Peggy Whitson Peggy Annette Whitson (born February 9, 1960) is an American biochemistry researcher, retired NASA astronaut, and former NASA Chief Astronaut. Whitson has a total of 665 days in space, more than any other woman or American. Her first space mi ...

Michael López-Alegría Michael López-Alegría (born Miguel Eladio López Alegría on May 30, 1958) is an astronaut, test pilot and commercial astronaut with dual nationality, American and Spanish; a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and one International Space ...

* Walter Villadei

In-space research and manufacturing

Axiom intends to commercialize

microgravity The term micro-g environment (also μg, often referred to by the term microgravity) is more or less synonymous with the terms ''weightlessness'' and ''zero-g'', but emphasising that g-forces are never exactly zero—just very small (on the I ...

research and development, using the

ISS National Lab The ISS U.S. National Lab, commonly known as the ISS National Lab, is a U.S. government-funded national laboratory established on 30 December 2005 by the 2005 NASA Authorization Act. With principal research facilities located in the United St ...

until its own modules are operational.

Missions

In early June 2021, Axiom announced a deal with SpaceX which added three additional crewed flights to the ISS, for a total of four. Axiom Mission 1 Static Fire (NHQ202204060008)

Axiom Mission 1 Static Fire (NHQ202204060008)

Ax-1

Ax-2

Ax-2 is a planned private crew mission to the ISS. The flight is slated to launch in the second quarter of 2023 and send four people to the ISS. On 25 May 2021, Axiom announced that former

NASA Astronaut The NASA Astronaut Corps is a unit of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and international space missions. It is based at Johnson Space Ce ...

would be the mission commander and John Shoffner would be the mission pilot. On September 20th, 2022 it was reported that

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

had bought the remaining two seats for the mission.

Ax-3

Ax-3 is a planned private crew mission to the ISS. The flight will launch no earlier than 2023 and carry four people to the ISS. The crew is expected to include Walter Villadei along with two Turkish astronauts and is expected to launch in late 2023.

Ax-4

Ax-4 is a planned private crew mission to the ISS. The flight will launch no earlier than 2023 and carry four people to the ISS, including the winner of the '' Space Hero''

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

show. The crew is expected to include a Hungarian astronaut.

Axiom Mission Control Center

In January 2022, the Axiom Space Mission Control Center (or MCC-A) completed its first on-orbit operation on the ISS. The MCC-A, located at Axiom's HQ in Houston, TX, is registered as a payload operations site.

Flights

Space suit

Future NASA contracted suits

On 1 June 2022, NASA announced it had selected Axiom Space along with competing

Collins Aerospace Collins Aerospace is an American technology corporation that is one of the world's largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, it is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. History On No ...

to develop and provide astronauts with next generation spacesuit and spacewalk systems to first test and later use outside the International Space Station, as well as on the lunar surface for the crewed Artemis missions, and prepare for human missions to Mars.

References

External links

* {{Official website, www.axiomspace.com American companies established in 2016 Space-based economy Private spaceflight companies Aerospace companies of the United States Privately held companies based in Texas