KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida, April 11, 2022 (CASIS PR) – On Friday, April 8, the launch of the first privately owned astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), marked the beginning of a new period of privatized utilization of the orbital laboratory. The Falcon 9 rocket and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft took off from the historic 39A Launch Complex at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four Axiom Space astronauts: former NASA commander and former astronaut Michael López-Con Alegr St. Mission Specialists. . The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked with the ISS on Saturday and the four Axiom crew members welcomed the ship. During the eight days on the space station, Ax-1 crew members will conduct dozens of research experiments, many of which are funded by the National ISS Laboratory. In total, the National ISS Laboratory funds more than 25 experiments related to the Ax-1 mission. With the advent of private astronaut missions, additional crew members will be available to conduct valuable research and technological development (R&D) at the ISS. Through space-based R&D, the National ISS Labs seeks to enable discoveries that can bring value to humanity and further viable low-Earth business models. Axiom is an ISS National Laboratory Commercial Service Provider and through this partnership, the company will continue to initiate and support future research on the roaming platform. Several studies supported by Axiom and funded by the National ISS Laboratory are related to the Ax-1 mission. One of these projects aims to test a device that could provide autonomous monitoring of astronauts’ health on future long-term space missions. Another is a demonstration of technology that tests a portable electroencephalography (EEG) headset to measure differences in brain activity during space flight. And another is research testing autonomous and self-assembled robotic tile clusters to help assess the feasibility of building orbiting satellites and future space habitats. “Congratulations to Axiom Space and SpaceX on this historic first manned low-Earth space flight,” said Ray Lugo, CEO of ISS National Laboratory. “This mission shows that access to space is increasing and we look forward to the results of this initial private astronaut mission. “We hope that this mission will enhance future talks with researchers, companies and other organizations about the possibility of not only starting research in the orbiting laboratory, but also becoming participants in space-based research themselves.” To learn more about this mission, including research related to Ax-1, visit the official Axiom media kit. About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory: The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique laboratory that allows research and technological development that is not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Laboratory allows researchers to harness this multi-user capability to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, promote scientific literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this national orbiting laboratory, research resources are available to the ISS to support scientific, technological, and educational initiatives outside of NASA by government agencies, academia, and the US private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) manages the ISS National Laboratory, under a partnership agreement with NASA, facilitating access to the permanent microgravity research environment, a strong advantage in low Earth orbit and extreme and varied space conditions. To learn more about the ISS National Laboratory, visit www.ISSNationalLab.org.
