Axiom Space, a Houston-based company at the forefront of commercial human spaceflight and the brains behind the world’s first commercial space station, has teamed up with the Swedish National Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA) to send an ESA astronaut on an upcoming Axiom Space mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
This groundbreaking partnership between Axiom Space, Sweden, and ESA is the culmination of more than a decade of hard work by US policy makers, international partners, and the commercial industry to establish a thriving ecosystem in low-Earth orbit that will benefit humanity as a whole.
Michael Suffredini, Axiom Space’s President and CEO, said: “Axiom Space’s partnership with the Swedish National Space Agency and ESA symbolizes our efforts to work with countries and organizations around the world to expand the commercial space domain. As we enter this new era of space exploration, Axiom Space is focused on establishing important international partnerships to develop a thriving low-Earth orbit ecosystem and building on the legacy and achievements of the ISS, leveraging the benefits of microgravity to build a better life on Earth.”
Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s Director General, added: “The ESA Astronaut Policy was developed for exactly these opportunities, flying on commercial flights in partnership as we transition Europe’s access to space and diversify the space market. I hope to see more Europeans inside ESA’s space laboratory Columbus on the International Space Station soon.”
The name of the astronaut and details of the mission will be announced after approval by NASA and its international partners. The ESA astronaut chosen for the mission will focus on scientific research and educational outreach.
Axiom Space will manage all aspects of the mission, including providing and coordinating all services required for the preparation and completion. As the crew provider for the mission, ESA will sign an agreement with Axiom Space to define and implement the mission objectives and prepare for all the operational support needed. The Swedish National Space Agency will negotiate directly with Axiom Space for the flight.
