NASA has selected Axiom Space for the second private astronaut mission to
the International Space Station. NASA will negotiate with Axiom on a mission
order agreement for the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) targeted to launch between
fall 2022 and late spring 2023.
Ax-2 will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a mission
of no more than 14 days docked to the space station. NASA and Axiom will
negotiate in-orbit activities for the private astronauts to conduct in
coordination with space station crew members and flight controllers on the
ground. The Ax-2 mission concept includes scientific research and outreach
activities.
NASA and its international partners will review private astronauts
selections proposed by Axiom for the Ax-2 mission, as is standard for any
space station crew. The proposed crew members would undergo NASA medical
qualification testing to be approved for flight.
NASA evaluated the mission proposal based on Axiom’s ability to execute it
successfully, NASA’s ability to support it, and its contribution to the
agency’s mission and goal of low-Earth orbit commercialization. This mission
is subject to NASA’s updated pricing policy for private astronaut missions,
which reflects the full value of costs to the agency that are above space
station baseline capabilities.
Progress continues toward NASA and Axiom’s first private astronaut mission
to the space station, Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), which is scheduled to launch
no earlier than Feb. 21, 2022. Axiom’s proposed crew members still are
completing final evaluations by NASA and its international partners.
The agency did not make a selection for a third private astronaut mission
from its June 2021 research announcement. NASA will gather lessons learned
from the first private astronaut flight as well as other applicable station
activities and announce a new flight opportunity in the future.
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