NASA and Axiom Space are scheduled Monday to offer a virtual preview of the company’s first mission to send four private astronauts to the International Space Station under an agreement signed in May 2021.
The multinational team for Axiom Mission 1 will fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule aboard the Falcon 9 rocket March 30 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency said Wednesday.
Ax-1 astronauts aim to conduct over 25 research experiments of health and science applications in microgravity within a 10-day period that includes staying on the orbiting laboratory for eight days.
The upcoming mission is part of NASA’s efforts to develop a commercial economy in low-Earth orbit and the agency is negotiating with Axiom Space on a mission order agreement for the second private astronaut mission that could occur between fall 2022 and late spring 2023.