Axiom Space, the four year old space startup that aims to make private space travel a reality, has announced its first private space mission. And the mission, which is in partnership with SpaceX, will happen as soon as 2021. The cherry on top you ask? The all inclusive fare for this private mission, that carries one Axiom trained commander and three private space astronauts, is $55 Million. Now while that amount is huge, it is highly affordable considering that its private space travel for 3 people for 10 days to the ISS.
The mission, set to launch as soon as the second half of 2021, will allow the crew to live aboard the ISS and experience at least eight days of microgravity and views of Earth that can only be fully appreciated in the large, venerable station.
“This history-making flight will represent a watershed moment in the march toward universal and routine access to space,” Axiom CEO Michael Suffredini said. “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.”
This is the first of Axiom’s proposed “precursor missions” to the ISS envisioned under its Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA. Discussions with NASA are underway to establish additional enabling agreements for the private astronaut missions to ISS.
Axiom plans to offer professional and private astronaut flights to ISS at a rate of up to two per year to align with flight opportunities as they are made available by NASA, while simultaneously constructing its own privately funded space station.
