The trip was mediated by startup Axiom Space based in Houston, Texas, which seeks to book rocket rides, provide all the necessary training and coordinate flights to the ISS for anyone who can afford it. All of this goes hand in hand with the US Government and the private sector’s goal of boosting commercial activity on the ISS and beyond.
This mission, called the AX-1, involves Michael Lopez-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut who became an Axiom employee and commands the mission. Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe. Canadian investor Mark Pathy; and Ohio-based real estate mogul Larry Conor.
After arriving on the ISS in their SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, they teamed up with seven professional astronauts already on the space station – including three NASA astronauts, a German astronaut and three Russian cosmonauts.
This is not the first time that paying or non-paying astronauts have visited the ISS, as Russia has sold seats on the Soyuz spacecraft to a number of wealthy thrill seekers in recent years. But this is the first mission involving a crew made up entirely of individuals without active members of the astronauts’ governing body. It is also the first time individuals have traveled to the ISS on a US-built spacecraft.
Here’s everything you need to know.
How much did all this cost?
Axiom had previously revealed a price tag of $ 55 million per seat for a 10-day trip to the ISS, but the company declined to comment on the financial terms of the shipment – apart from saying in a press conference last year that the price is at ” tens of millions “. The mission was made possible by very close coordination between Axiom, SpaceX and NASA, as the ISS is funded by the government and operates. And the space agency has revealed some details about how much it will charge for using its 20-year-old orbital laboratory. Food alone costs $ 2,000 a day per person in space. Receiving commuting to and from the space station for a commercial crew is another $ 88,000 to $ 164,000 per person per day. For each mission, providing the necessary support from NASA astronauts will cost commercial customers another $ 5.2 million, and all the support and mission planning that NASA is lending is another $ 4.8 million.
Who flies?
Lopez-Alegría, a veteran of four voyages between 1995 and 2007 during his tenure at NASA, heads this mission as an Axiom employee. For more on the three paying customers, see our coverage here.
Is it safe to go to the ISS, given the conflict in Russia?
Russia is the United States’ main partner in the ISS, and the space station has long been hailed as a symbol of post-Cold War cooperation. However, US-Russia relations on the ground have skyrocketed amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The United States and its allies have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia, and the country has responded in a number of ways, including refusing to sell Russian rocket engines to US companies. The head of Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, has even taken to social media threatening to pull out of the ISS deal. Despite the uproar, NASA has repeatedly sought to ensure that, behind the scenes, NASA and its Russian counterparts work together seamlessly. “NASA is aware of recent comments about the International Space Station. US sanctions and export control measures continue to allow US-Russia space policy cooperation on the space station,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a recent statement. “The professional relationship between our international partners, astronauts and cosmonauts continues for the safety and mission of all passengers on the ISS.”
Are they astronauts or tourists?
This is a question that concerns the space flight community right now. The US government traditionally awards astronaut wings to anyone traveling more than 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. But commercial astronaut wings – a relatively new name given by the Federal Aviation Administration – may not be so freely distributed. Last year, the FAA decided to close the entire Commercial Space Astronaut Wings program on January 1, 2022. Now, the FAA only plans to list the names of anyone flying over the 50 mile limit on a site. Whether it is fair to continue to refer to people who pay their way into space as “astronauts” is an open question and countless observers – including NASA astronauts – have weighed in. “If you’re tying your butt to a rocket, I think it’s worth it,” former NASA astronaut Terry Virts told National Geographic when asked. “When I was an F-16 pilot, I did not feel jealous that Cessna pilots were called pilots. I think everyone will know if you paid to be a passenger on a five-minute sub-orbital flight or if you are the pilot of an interplanetary spacecraft. “These are two different things.” If you ask the AX-1 crew, they do not like to be called “tourists”. “This mission is very different from what you may have heard on some of the recent – especially orbital – missions. We are not space tourists,” Lopez-Alegría told reporters earlier this month, referring to the short supersonic flights made by Jeff The Beige Blue Origin Company. “I think there is an important role for space tourism, but it is not what Axiom is about.” The crew underwent extensive training for this mission, taking on many of the same tasks as professional astronauts in training. But the fact is that the three customers who pay on this flight – Stibbe, Pathy and Connor – were not selected by a group of thousands of candidates and do not devote much of their lives to the effort. Axiom itself has been more cautious about using words in the past. “Commercial human space flight. Space tourism. Whatever you call it – it happens. And soon,” the company wrote on its website.
What will they do while in space?
Each crew member has a list of research projects they plan to work on. Connor will do some research on how space flight affects aging cells, which are cells that have stopped normal reproduction and are “linked to multiple age-related diseases,” according to Axiom. This research will be conducted in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic. Among the items on Pathy’s to-do list are some additional medical research, focusing more on child health, which she will conduct in collaboration with several Canadian hospitals, and a number of conservation awareness initiatives. Stibbe will also do some research and focus on “educational and artistic activities to connect the younger generation in Israel and around the world,” according to Axiom. Stibbe flies for the Ramon Foundation – a nonprofit space education organization named after Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who died in the Columbia space shuttle crash in 2003. Stibbe Axiom’s biography says he and Ramon shared a “close” friendship. During downtime, the crew will also have the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent view of the Earth. And, at some point, they will share a meal with the other astronauts on board. Their food was prepared in collaboration with the famous chef and philanthropist Jose Andrés. Their meals “are based on flavors and traditional dishes of Governor López-Alegría’s native Spain”, according to Axiom.
