Axiom Space to launch inaugural all-European mission from US.
For the first time ever, an all-European manned space flight will take off for the International Space Station (ISS), and it will do so from American soil.
Axiom Space announced its third mission to the ISS on Sept. 12, stating the four-man mission will launch from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule no earlier than January 2024. They will spend 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting science, outreach, and commercial activities.
The Axiom-3 (Ax-3) crew consists of Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei (pilot), ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden (mission specialist), and Alper Gezeravci of Turkey (mission specialist). Wandt will be the first ESA-sponsored astronaut to fly on a commercial space flight, and Gezeravci will be the first Turkish person in space. They both have served in the air force for their nations.
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The mission commander will be Axiom Space’s Chief Astronaut, Michael Lopez-Alegria. He is a former astronaut of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and holds dual citizenship in the United States and Spain. He is the only American citizen tied to the mission.
“It is an honor to command another private astronaut mission with Axiom Space and lead a dynamic crew of professional operators representing several nations across one region of the world,” said Mr. López-Alegría in a press release. “The Ax-3 mission will be transformational as it fosters partnerships outside the construct of the ISS and positions European nations as pioneers of the emerging commercial space industry.”
Axiom Space and NASA have also agreed to order a fourth mission at this time that is set to launch no earlier than August 2024.
Private Takeover of Low Earth Orbit
Axiom Space holds the position of being the only player in the commercial space industry to provide full-service, end-to-end crewed orbital missions for private and government-sponsored astronauts.
“This crew is shifting the paradigm of how governments and space agencies access and reap the benefits of microgravity,” said Mr. López-Alegría.
NASA’s position on more private enterprise in low earth orbit (LEO) continues to be a supportive one. Putting more emphasis on commercial spaceflight operations “will provide services the government needs at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on its Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions,” it stated in a press release on Ax-3.
Ax-1, also commanded by Mr. López-Alegría, launched in 2022 and spent 17 days in orbit. Ax-2 launched in May 2023 for a nine-day stay and saw the first Saudi astronauts—including the first Saudi woman in space, Rayyanah Barnawi—visit the ISS.
“The Ax-3 mission will be transformational as it fosters partnerships outside the construct of the ISS and positions European nations as pioneers of the emerging commercial space industry,” said Mr. López-Alegría.
The current missions to the ISS, Axiom Space states, are part of an effort to build “a thriving LEO ecosystem and global space marketplace.” It continues to grow an international coalition of partners with the goal of diversifying the community of spacefaring nations and building what they want to be the ultimate successor of the ISS: Axiom Station.
“I am proud to see NASA and [the] industry’s continued dedication toward enabling private astronaut missions,” said Angela Hart, manager of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, in a press release for Ax-3.
“These commercial efforts continue to expand opportunity and access to microgravity research and discovery. Each of thes
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