NASA and Axiom Space have signed a mission order for the third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch no earlier than November 2023 from the agency’s NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“The diversity of currently available commercial orbital human spaceflight opportunities is truly astounding. NASA’s commercial crew flights to the space station for our government astronauts paved the way for fully private missions to space like Inspiration4 and Polaris as well as private astronaut missions to the orbiting laboratory like the one we are announcing today,” said Phil McAlister, director of commercial space at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We are starting to see the incorporation of space into our economic sphere, and it is going to revolutionize the way people see, use, and experience space.”   

Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) is expected to spend 14 days docked to the space station. A specific launch date is dependent on spacecraft traffic to the space station and in-orbit activity planning and constraints. NASA and Axiom Space 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.

“Axiom Space’s selection to lead the next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station enables us to continue expanding access to nations, academia, commercial entities, and emerging industries to research, test, and demonstrate new technologies in microgravity,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO and president of Axiom Space. “As NASA’s focus shifts back to the Moon and on to Mars, we are committed to transforming low-Earth orbit into a global space marketplace, where access to space moves beyond the partners of the space station to nations, institutions and individuals with new ideas fueling a thriving human economy beyond Earth.”

Axiom Space will submit four proposed crew members and two back up crew for the Ax-3 mission to the station’s Multilateral Crew Operations Panel for review. NASA is requiring all private astronaut mission providers to select a previously flown NASA astronaut as the spacecraft commander. Following review and approval from NASA and its international partners, the prime crew members for the mission will be named.

The Ax-3 crew members will train for their flight with NASA, international partners, and SpaceX, which Axiom Space has contracted as launch provider for transportation to and from the space station and to familiarize the private astronauts with systems, procedures, and emergency preparedness for the space station and the Dragon spacecraft. Based on current mission planning, team crew training is scheduled to begin this spring.

Axiom Space is obtaining NASA services to conduct the mission via both the mission specific order and Reimbursable Space Act Agreements.

Through the mission specific order, Axiom Space is obtaining services from NASA such as crew supplies, cargo delivery to space, storage, and other in-orbit resources for daily use. The order also accommodates up to an additional contingency week aboard the space station. This mission is subject to NASA’s pricing policy for the services the agency is providing to Axiom Space for in-orbit activities that are above space station baseline capabilities.

The order also identifies capabilities NASA may obtain from Axiom Space, including the return of scientific samples that must be kept cold in transit to and from Earth, return cargo capability, and the capability to use the private astronaut mission commander’s time during the docked mission to complete NASA science or perform tasks for NASA.

Through Reimbursable Space Act Agreements, Axiom Space will reimburse NASA for services to enable the mission, such as training for crew members and use of facilities at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In addition, SpaceX has a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with Kennedy for launch services.

NASA made the selection for the third private astronaut mission from proposals received in response to its September 2022 NASA Research Announcement and evaluated the mission proposals based on the provider’s ability to execute a mission successfully, NASA’s ability to support the proposed mission, and the mission’s contribution to the agency’s goal of low-Earth orbit commercialization. NASA also solicited proposals for a fourth private astronaut mission opportunity in 2024 and will announce the mission after successful completion of negotiations results in an award.

For more than 22 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence in low-Earth orbit. The agency's goal is a low-Earth orbit marketplace where NASA is one of many customers, and the private sector leads the way. This strategy will provide services the government needs at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on its Artemis missions to the Moon and on to Mars while continuing to use low-Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 18.03.2023

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NASA selects Axiom Space for third private astronaut mission to ISS

WASHINGTON — NASA has approved plans by Axiom Space to fly a third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station as soon as November, although with no details yet about who will go on the flight.

NASA announced March 14 it signed a “mission order” with Axiom for the mission, designated Ax-3 by the company. Launch is scheduled as soon as November, a date that will depend in part on the traffic of other vehicles heading to and from the station.

NASA solicited proposals for a third and fourth private astronaut mission in September 2022, after previously selecting Axiom for the Ax-1 mission that went to the ISS in April 2022 and Ax-2, scheduled for launch as soon as May. In its announcement about Ax-3, NASA said it would announce plans for the fourth private astronaut mission, planned for 2024, after completion of negotiations with an unspecified company.

Axiom was the only company to bid on the second private astronaut mission, according to NASA source selection statements published last August. Both Axiom and a second company, Shuttle IO Technologies, bid on NASA’s original request for a third private astronaut mission in 2021, but the agency rejected both given low ratings from the review process. NASA did not disclose how many companies submitted proposals in this new solicitation for the third mission.

The announcement of Ax-3 disclosed few details about the mission other than it will spend 14 days at the ISS, slightly longer than the planned 10 days of Ax-2. The mission, like Ax-1 and -2, will use a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Axiom Space did not disclose the crew for Ax-3 in the announcement. Like the previous two missions, it will be commanded by a former NASA astronaut with flight experience, a requirement NASA enacted after Ax-1.

NASA said in the announcement that the formal announcement of the crew will come only after it is approved by NASA and the other ISS partners. While Axiom Space had named the commander and pilot of Ax-2 — Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner — in 2021, the other two crew members, Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Alqarni, were not named until Feb. 12.

Axiom executives previously said that government-sponsored astronauts, like the two Saudis, would make up the bulk of customers on its upcoming private astronaut missions. “I expect that Ax-3 will be largely a country customer kind of flight with our professional astronaut,” said Michael Suffredini, chief executive of Axiom, in a call with reporters in January. He added that will be repeated on Ax-4. “I think that, between those two flights, maybe one private individual will fly.”

Axiom hopes to continue flying private astronaut missions to the ISS as it develops a series of commercial modules it will attach to the station, which will serve as the core of a standalone space station after the retirement of the station. “Our desire is to fly two missions a year,” Michael López-Alegría, the former NASA astronaut who commanded Ax-1 for Axiom, said in a Feb. 26 speech at the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in Colorado.

He noted in that speech that NASA had picked Axiom for both the third and fourth private astronaut missions, although the company was still in contract negotiations with NASA on them.

Once Axiom has its modules on the ISS, which will include its own docking port, the company will have more freedom to fly crews to them without having to compete for private astronaut mission opportunities, which NASA has currently capped at two a year. “We’ll still have to go through NASA and will still have to comply with the ISS program rules,” López-Alegría said, “but I feel like we’ll have a little bit more leeway to do whatever we want.”

Quelle: SN

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Update: 14.09.2023

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NASA, Partners Clear Axiom Space’s Third Private Astronaut Crew

NASA and its international partners approved the crew for Axiom Space’s third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, launching from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than January 2024.

Axiom Space’s chief astronaut and former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría will command the private mission. Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are Alper Gezeravci of Turkey and ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden.

Private astronaut missions to the space station help pave the way toward commercial space stations as part of NASA’s efforts to develop a thriving low Earth orbit ecosystem and marketplace and enable more nations, more people, and more opportunities in space than ever before.

“I am proud to see NASA and industry’s continued dedication toward enabling private astronaut missions,” said Angela Hart, manager, NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “These commercial efforts continue to expand opportunity and access to microgravity research and discovery. Each of these missions is a next step in building our shared future in low Earth orbit.”

Axiom Mission 3, or Ax-3, crew will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket inside a Dragon spacecraft and will travel to the space station. Once docked, the private astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory implementing a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities. The mission will send the first Turkish astronaut to space and will be the first commercial mission for an ESA-sponsored astronaut.

“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 López-Alegría. “This crew is shifting the paradigm of how governments and space agencies access and reap the benefits of microgravity… I look forward to working with this team and with all those who will support our mission on the ground, on orbit, and around the world.”

NASA and Axiom Space signed an order for the fourth private astronaut mission targeted to launch no earlier than August 2024. The first private astronaut mission to the station was Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), also commanded by López-Alegría and launched in April 2022, with four private astronauts who spent 17 days in orbit working science and outreach engagements. A year later, the second private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), lifted off in May 2023 for a nine-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting unique scientific and outreach activities.

For nearly 23 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence in low Earth orbit aboard the space station. The agency's goal is to enable a strong, commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit where NASA is one of many customers for private industry. This strategy 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.

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 15.12.2023

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SpaceX to launch 3rd private astronaut mission to the ISS for Axiom Space on Jan. 9

 

Ax-3 will be Axiom Space's third astronaut mission to the International Space Station.

The Ax-3 crew includes, from left: former NASA astronaut and Axiom commander Michael López-Alegría; pilot Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force, who flew with Virgin Galactic in July 2023; mission specialist Alper Gezeravcı, Turkey's first citizen in space; and mission specialist Marcus Wandt, a reserve astronaut with the European Space Agency. (Image credit: Axiom Space)

Axiom Space says it hopes SpaceX's private astronaut missions will become cheaper in the future.

Houston-based Axiom plans to launch its third mission, Ax-3, on Jan. 9, 2024 to the International Space Station using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragonspacecraft. Four commercial astronauts will ride on board. Axiom Space does not disclose per-seat pricing, but estimates pegged April 2022's  Ax-1 mission, which SpaceX also launched, at $55 million per astronaut. 

Axiom's president, Matt Ondler, said during a call with reporters Wednesday (Dec. 13) that Ax-3 is "not cheaper" than Ax-1 was — but he hopes future missions may be.

"The driving cost, of course, is the launch provider, [but] I think SpaceX gets more and more efficient all the time with their operations," he said.

"We're hopeful that it gets easier and easier to put humans in space," continued Ondler. "I think right now, in this time period, it is still very complicated and difficult and arduous to put humans in space and have the right safety in place. But we're hopeful in the future — as more and more launch providers come online and we get better and better at putting them into space — those launch costs go down."

SpaceX is by far the dominant launch provider in the world, launching more than 90 crewed and uncrewed orbital missions in 2023 already. Elon Musk's company is therefore responsible for roughly half of global launch activity this year (though most SpaceX launches have been dedicated to building out the company's Starlink satellite-internet constellation). 

Boeing's Starliner, however, may be ready to bring astronauts to the ISS as soon as 2024, following years of delays. That said, it will take years for other systems to be available for space station missions.

Sierra Space's Dream Chaser space plane has been approved for uncrewed missions to the ISS later in the decade, but it may also carry astronauts one day. India is developing its own crewed capability (which may or may not be available for ISS), while the European Space Agency is eager to launch its own astronautsat some point. 

Axiom Space is unlikely to use Russia's Soyuz spacecraft for ISS missions due to international difficulties, as Russia's unsanctioned invasion of Ukraine in 2022 continues. (Most international spaceflight partnerships with Russia have vanished except for ISS agency work, which continues for larger policy reasons.) 

As for Ax-3: The crew will be led by former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, a dual U.S.-Spanish citizen who also commanded Ax-1 in 2022 and now serves as the company's chief astronaut. (All private crewed missions to the ISS need a retired NASA astronaut at the helm, per agency rules.)

Joining López-Alegría will be Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei, who flew to suborbital space on Virgin Galactic's first commercial launch in June; Marcus Wandt of Sweden, a European Space Agency project astronaut; and Turkey's first citizen in space, Alper Gezeravcı. It will be López-Alegría's sixth mission, Villadei's second and the first for Wandt and Gezeravcı.

Ax-1 crew members required assistance from the ISS agency astronauts to complete all of that mission's objectives. López-Alegría, however, emphasized in Wednesday's call that lessons learned since April 2022 should allow Ax-3 to complete its 30 assigned experiments in two weeks. The Ax-3 crew has exceeded their training hours, including all safety procedures, and the training has shifted to put more emphasis on the tools the crew uses every day.

López-Alegría also paid tribute to a two-week expedition the crew had with the National Outdoor Leadership School, an entity that NASA also uses for astronaut training in wilderness environments akin to the isolated conditions one encounters in space. "That has also helped solidify the camaraderie within the team," he said.

Both Axiom and NASA representatives said the company's  space excursions are helping prepare for future missions with agency astronauts and commercial astronauts working alongside each other. Axiom is planning to put a set of private modules on the ISS, starting in 2026, that will eventually detach to create a free-flying space station. 

"The more we do these kinds of missions aboard the space station, the clearer the picture becomes of how NASA and industry will work together," said NASA's Angela Hart, manager of the agency's commercial low Earth orbit development program. 

NASA funded three coalitions in December 2021 to encourage the development of commercial space stations that could succeed the ISS, which is now expected to retire at the end of 2030. (Since 2021, Northrop Grumman stopped its independent project to join the private Starlab station concept.) NASA has said repeatedly that it is doing its best to avoid any gap for low-Earth orbit operations after the ISS' retirement. 

NASA's most recent update on the commercial space stations, issued on Monday(Dec. 11), included this information about potential future private outposts: 

• The first Axiom module, called Axiom Hab One, will have a critical design review in 2024. "During this review, NASA will assess the maturity of the Axiom Space design and provide feedback necessary to ensure safe operations when it is attached to the International Space Station," agency officials wrote.
• The Blue Origin-led Orbital Reef space station "recently completed tests for a window system and a structural demonstration" to see how designs would perform in a pressurized environment in orbit. 
• Starlab now includes partner companies such as Nanoracks, Voyager Space, Airbus and Northrop Grumman. The envisioned space complex has finished a system definition review and is preparing for the preliminary design review. Technicians also reported progress for a laser link demonstration to boost data transfer rates in space, as well as an "alternative urine processor demonstration" that will recover potable water from urine, similar to current ISS systems. 

NASA is also preparing a request for proposals for space station services in 2025, following on from an industry request for information issued in October 2023 "on proposed requirements for future destination services," Hart said. Company collaborations are also forthcoming in "space technologies that will be needed in the commercial low Earth orbit ecosystem," such as new transportation solutions.

As for Axiom's missions, NASA and the company have agreed to an Ax-4 mission, and the agency expects "a regular cadence of private astronaut missions through the life of the ISS," Hart said.

Quelle: SC

+++

A launch date for Marcus Wandt

ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt from Sweden will travel to the International Space Station on Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) no earlier than 10 January 2024, European time.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-3 crew of four astronauts into space from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, after 20:00 ET local time on 9 January, or 01:00 GMT/02:00 CET on 10 January. There is three-day window available for launch.

Marcus will fly as a mission specialist on a Dragon spacecraft. The other Axiom 3 crew members are Walter Villadei from Italy and Alper Gezeravcı from Türkiye. They will fly under the command of Michael López-Alegría Marcus, representing both USA and Spain as a dual-citizen.

Fast-track to space

Marcus is the first of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space, and the third Swedish citizen to fly in space. As a project astronaut, his job at ESA is linked to this specific flight opportunity on a fixed-term contract.

Ax-3 will be the first commercial human spaceflight mission with an ESA-sponsored astronaut. Europe is redefining the pathway to low Earth orbit to show how fast-track, short-duration missions with flexible access to microgravity can generate good science, outreach and education for a better life on Earth.

During his two-week mission, Marcus will devote much of his time to scientific activities and technology demonstrations that could shape the way we live and work on Earth. In total, he will run around 20 experiments.

Muninn – knowledge and passion

Marcus’s mission, supported by ESA and the Swedish National Space Agency, is called Muninn.

His first mission to space takes its name from Norse mythology and the two raven accomplices of the god Odin – Muninn and Huginn. Together, the two symbolise the human mind. 

According to the myth, the ravens serve as messengers and advisors to their god, sharing all they see and hear. Muninn comes from the Old Norse word munr, that can be translated as mind and passion.

Huginn is the name of ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen’s mission. Andreas is currently commander of the International Space Station. This will be the first time two Scandinavians live and work together in space.

Meet Marcus

Born in 1980, Marcus Wandt grew up in Hammarö, at the shoreline of the biggest lake in Sweden.

Creating, building and fixing things have always been a big interest for Marcus. He combined his studies in electrical engineering with a promising career as a pilot.

Marcus has flown as a military fighter and test pilot over the last two decades. He defines himself as an action-oriented thinker able to adapt quickly to different missions.

Marcus was one of the 17 new astronaut candidateschosen from over 22 500 applicants from across ESA Member States in November 2022. He started intensive training for his spaceflight in June 2023.

Follow Marcus’s journey on the Muninn website, check our launch kit and connect with Marcus on his Instagram and Xaccounts.

Quelle: ESA

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Update: 13.01.2024

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NASA Sets Coverage for Axiom Mission 3 Briefing, Events, Broadcast

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is pictured docked to the space-facing port on the International Space Station’s Harmony module.

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.

Liftoff of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) is scheduled for 5:11 p.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 17, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will travel to the orbiting outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.

Watch live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities, as well as docking operations on the NASA+ streaming service. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

NASA’s mission responsibility is for integrated operations, which begins during the spacecraft’s approach to the International Space Station, continues during the crew’s stay aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting science, education, and commercial activities, and concludes once Dragon exits the area of the space station.

The Ax-3 crew members are Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Walter Villadei of Italy, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı of Turkey, and ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden.

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX joint coverage of the Ax-3 launch is as follows (all times Eastern):

Tuesday, Jan. 16

8 p.m. – Prelaunch News Conference (targeted for one hour following the Launch Readiness Review)

The prelaunch news conference will focus on final preparations for the Ax-3 mission. It will discuss the results of the Launch Readiness Review, which evaluates the mission hardware and its readiness for launch. NASA will provide a live stream of the audio at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

Participants include:

• Dana Weigel, deputy manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• Angela Hart, manager, NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program
• Derek Hassmann, chief of mission integration and operations, Axiom Space
• Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
• Arlena Moses, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force

This briefing will be via teleconference. Media must register to participate in the call by 12 p.m., Monday, Jan. 15. For details and to RSVP, please contact: media@axiomspace.com.

Wednesday, Jan. 17

3:15 p.m. – Joint Axiom Space and SpaceX broadcast launch webcast begins
4:15 p.m. – NASA joins launch coverage

NASA will stream the Ax-3 launch on NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website.

The broadcast will end following orbital insertion, which is approximately 15 minutes after launch. As it is a commercial launch, NASA will not provide a clean feed for this launch, neither on the NASA Media Channel nor on site at NASA Kennedy.

Friday, Jan. 19

3:30 a.m. – NASA docking coverage begins and airs through the conclusion of the welcome remarks

5:15 a.m. – Docking

7 a.m. – Hatch Opening

7:35 a.m. – Crew Welcome Remarks

Quelle: NASA

+++

Astronauts ready for first, all-European mission to the International Space Station

(Left to right) Ax-3 Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt, Pilot Walter Villadei, Commander Michael López-Alegría, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı. Image: Axiom Space

For the third time, Axiom Space is preparing a charter mission to the International Space Station. The Ax-3 mission carries the distinction of featuring an all-European crew, with Commander Michael López-Alegría being a dual citizen of both the United States and Spain.

Following the Flight Readiness Review on Wednesday, the crew spoke about their upcoming mission amid their ongoing quarantine in Florida, which has been in place for a little over a week. They are set to launch to the ISS, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 5:11 p.m. EST (2211 UTC).

“I’m very proud to being leading this mission to the International Space Station. It’s important not just for the scientific research and technology demonstrations and outreach events we will do, but it’s a very important step towards Axiom Space having a commercial space station in orbit before the decade is out,” said López-Alegría.

The commander of the Ax-3 mission is returning to the station for the second time as both a mission commander and a private astronaut. He previously flew as a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions and Expedition 14 via Soyuz TMA-9.

The pilot of the mission, Walter Villadei, a colonel in the Italian Air Force and head of the ItAF’s U.S. office overseeing commercial spaceflight will be making his second flight onboard a U.S. spacecraft. He previously flew onboard the suborbital Virgin Galactic flight dubbed Unity 23.

Villadei will become just the second non-U.S. citizen to pilot a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, following the launch of the Crew-7 mission with European Space Agency astronaut and current ISS commander Andreas Mogensen in the pilot’s chair.

He also served as the backup pilot for John Shoffner on the Ax-2 mission last year and said being able to learn along side him was invaluable.

“He gave me some tips, especially to try to be focused on the screens and enjoy the flight. He’s been very, very professional. His flight was very smooth,” Villadei said. “It’s been a great privilege to be in training with him. So, I look forward to being as good a pilot as he was for Ax-2.”

One of the mission specialists onboard the flight, Alper Gezeravcı, will become the first Turkish astronaut to head to space. He noted that the mission comes during the centennial celebration for Türkiye.

“As the children of this nation, we have always been blocked with the limit of the sky that we could see with our bare eyes and now, this mission is opening that curtain all the way to the end and our path, our journey starting from this moment on,” Gezeravcı said. “This is the beginning of our next centennial future history that we will be really proud of.”

During their 14-day mission on board the space station, they will collectively perform more than 30 scientific experiments and more than 50 outreach events.

Marcus Wandt, an astronaut not only representing Sweden, but also the European Space Agency (ESA), said some of the work he’s most looking forward to includes experiments dealing with stem cells.

“We’re looking at how the stem cells are affected and their proliferation and how they’re diversified after and that effect after being in microgravity,” Wandt said. It’s been tried with sounding rockets in Sweden before and now we’re getting a longer exposure during this mission on the stem cells.”

In addition to the work, the astronauts are also bringing some small items of significance to themselves as well as the countries that they represent. Wandt said among his items will be a Nobel Prize medal.

“It shows the significance of innovation and dedication to science and knowledge progress. That’s an important part for me and that’s something I’m bringing,” Wandt said.

 

What’s left before launch

Coming up next week on Monday, there will be a static fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket at historic Launch Complex 39. Earlier that day, the crew will do a test run of the launch day process in an event called a dry dress rehearsal.

The next day, leadership from Axiom Space, SpaceX and NASA will gather for the Launch Readiness Review, which will be followed by a pre-launch teleconference tentatively set for 8 p.m. EST (0100 UTC).

Heading into his sixth launch, and reflecting on a nearly 30-year career of spaceflight, López-Alegría said it is still a privilege each and every time he is able to journey into space and that the experience “never gets old.” For the foreseeable future, he and fellow former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will continue to command these private astronaut missions to the ISS.

“I think I have more appreciation with every launch that approaches. I think you put some of these things in the rear-view mirror and it helps you put them in perspective,” López-Alegría said. “The first time you go, you’re just sort of hanging on for dear life and enjoying the ride, but I think you appreciate each one a little bit more, especially when you realize just how rare an opportunity is.”

“So, I’m happy to keep doing this. Axiom would definitely like to continue doing private astronaut missions. We’ll probably have other commanders in the future, but as long as they ask me to fly, my hand will be raised.”

 Quelle: SN

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Update: 16.01.2024

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Axiom Space crewed mission is up next on Wednesday

Next, on Wednesday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch four European astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a Dragon capsule. Axiom-3 mission details: 

• Launch target: 5:11 p.m.
• Location: Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
• Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff

Quelle: Florida Today

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Update: 17.01.2024

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Meet the 4 astronauts of SpaceX's Ax-3 launch for Axiom Space

 

The mission will carry Axiom's first all-European crew.

Houston-based Axiom Space is poised for the company's third private astronaut launch to space. Ax-3 will carry a four-person, all-European crew on a roughly two-week mission to conduct research aboard the International Space Station(ISS).

The quartet includes Ax-3 mission commander and former NASA astronaut Michael "LA" López-Alegría, mission specialist Walter Villadei, who also flew aboard Virgin Galactic's Galactic 01 suborbital spaceflight as VIRTUTE 1 mission commander last summer, Turkey's soon-to-be first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut reserve member Marcus Wandt.

The Ax-3 crew will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the early evening, Wednesday, Jan. 17, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida. After about 36 hours aboard their SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, the crew will dock with the ISS early Friday morning, Jan. 19, if all goes according to plan.

The Ax-3 crew is scheduled to spend 14 days aboard the ISS, following their arrival on Friday, Jan. 19. Barring any weather delays, like the ones that prolonged the return of Ax-1, the four-person crew is scheduled to return after two weeks' time aboard their Crew Dragon capsule, parachuting back to Earth for a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

Former NASA astronaut Michael "L.A." López-Alegría is no stranger to spaceflight. Ax-3 will be his sixth launch to the ISS, and he has no plans of quitting anytime soon. "It's a dream come true for me," L.A. told reporters during a Jan. 11 crew teleconference, "I will gladly continue to fly as long as the soul is willing, and as long as the body is willing to do so."

L.A. was born in Madrid, and came to the U.S. with his parents as a young child. Combined, he has more than 40 years of aviation and spaceflight experience, which includes three Space Shuttle launches and a Soyuz launch. He was inducted into NASA's Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2020, and currently holds the space agency's record for cumulative time spent on space walks, or extravehicular activities (EVAs). L.A. now works as Axiom's chief astronaut.

López-Alegría flew as mission commander for Ax-1, and is proud to be reprising that role for Ax-3, he said during Thursday's call.

"I'm very proud and pleased to be leading this mission to the International Space Station, which is important not just for the scientific research and technology demonstrations and outreach events that we'll do, but also it's a very important step toward the goal of Axiom space to have a commercial space station in orbit before the decade is out."

Axiom Space is constructing its own habitation module to berth to the ISS, which it plans to build out and eventually detach to become its own private space station. Throughout development, crews from each of the company's commercially-funded missions to the ISS work, in part, toward helping Axiom reach that goal.

This also isn't the first spaceflight for Ax-3 mission pilot Col. Walter Villadei. Villadei hails from Rome, Italy, and serves as a colonel in the Italian Air Force (ItAF). His background includes extensive military flight experience with the ItAF, as well as assignments in the space sector, which sent him to Star City, Russia, to with the Russian space agency (Roscosmos) as a Soyuz flight engineer.

Currently, Villadei works as the head of ItAF's representative office in the U.S., overseeing commercial spaceflight initiatives.

He flew on a sub-orbital flight to space with Virgin Galactic in June 2023, where he served as VIRTUTE-1 mission commander. At the time, he said that flight would help prepare him for upcoming, longer spaceflights.

"This mission is very important for Italy," Villadei said during the Jan. 11 briefing, calling Ax-3 a "fundamental step" in Italy's national space strategy. "It's a big opportunity for bringing industries of the scientific community and institutions into this new chapter for space exploration."

Alper Gezeravcı will fly as Turkey's first astronaut. The Ax-3 mission specialist holds degrees from the Air Force Academy in Istanbul, and the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Ohio, and has 15 years experience flying as a fighter pilot for the Turkish Air Force.

On Thursday's call, Gezeravcı acknowledged the significance of his country sending someone to space, but said he doesn't want that fact to overshadow the mission's contribution to the global scientific community.

"I'm representing my beautiful country, Turkey, as the first person to go to space," Gezeravcı said, "however, this mission is not only focused on the first manned mission, but it's also representing a lot of scientific missions that we are intending to contribute in the science world."

Like Axiom's previous missions, much of the research conducted by the Ax-3 crew will focus on the effects of long-term spaceflight and the effects of microgravity on the human body, with an emphasis on how that research can have beneficial applications down on Earth. Turkey's Vokalkord experiment, for example, is developing artificial intelligence to detect disease through analyzing audio of people speaking and coughing. 

Another fighter pilot, Marcus Wandt has more than 20 years experience in the air, serving in the Swedish Air Force. From fighter pilot, Wandt worked his way up to the role of chief test pilot, and eventually founded his own company to give tactical training to other pilots.

Now, Wandt is a lieutenant colonel in the Swedish Air Force and a member of ESA's astronaut reserve, and will be the second person from Sweden to fly to the ISS. For Ax-3, he will serve as a mission specialist.

"The decisiveness of how Sweden came together with ESA and Axiom, and all the support from NASA and SpaceX to make this happen is fantastic," Wandt said during the Ax-3 crew teleconference. 

"I'm so proud to be in the center of that, and being a part of pioneering a new way for Europe to gain access to space and to increase the frequency ... of not only European presence but also European science, and the benefit for what we can do here on Earth that brings everyone forward." 

Quelle: SC