NASA and Axiom Space have announced their plans for the third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, set to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in November 2023. The mission, known as Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), will spend 14 days docked to the space station and will be coordinated with space station crew members and flight controllers on the ground.
Phil McAlister, director of commercial space at NASA Headquarters in Washington, praised the growing commercial opportunities in space, saying “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 Space CEO and president Michael Suffredini expressed his excitement at the opportunity to continue expanding access to space for research and development. “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,” he said.
The specific launch date for Ax-3 is dependent on spacecraft traffic to the space station and in-orbit activity planning and constraints.
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