NASA picks Axiom Area for its third astronaut mission to the ISS

NASA has chosen Axiom Area’s proposal but once more for the third non-public astronaut mission to the Worldwide Area Station. The 2 events have already signed a mission order, and so they’re hoping to launch someday in November 2023 and past from the Kennedy Area Heart in Florida. A extra particular date shall be introduced later, since it’s going to rely upon the timing of different flights to the ISS, in addition to on in-orbit exercise planning. 

Earlier than Axiom Mission 3 launches, Axiom Mission 2 should head to the house station first. It is also a crew mission that is operated by the corporate, and it is anticipated to launch within the second quarter of 2023. As you possibly can guess from its identify, it isn’t the corporate’s first astronaut mission to the orbiting lab: NASA additionally picked it for the primary commercially operated crewed flight to the station. Axiom Mission 1 launched in April 2022 and was docked with the ISS for 15 days. 

In the mean time, Ax-3 remains to be in its very early levels. The non-public house firm will nonetheless should submit 4 proposed crew members and two again up crew to the company for assessment, with the mission commander being a flown NASA astronaut. (Ax-2, as an illustration, was headed by retired NASA astronaut Peggy Annette Whitson.) Below the events’ settlement, NASA could ask the commander to carry out sure duties or science experiments whereas onboard. In the meantime, Axiom Area astronauts will be capable of use NASA cargo and different in-orbit sources for every day use. 

Along with selecting Axiom Area for these non-public launches, NASA additionally picked the corporate to develop the moonwalking spacesuit for its Artemis program. The company will unveil the swimsuit as we speak in an occasion, which shall be livestreams on NASA’s web site.