Axiom to launch first-ever private space mission to ISS

Miami: The first-ever all-private team of four Astronauts from a Houston-based startup Axiom Space, is set to be launched into orbit and board the International Space Station (ISS) this week.

Axiom, NASA and other industry stakeholders have termed the trip as an important milestone in the expansion of commercial space ventures, referred to as the low-Earth orbit economy aka “LEO economy”.

The four-member team from Axiom is scheduled to take off from the Kennedy Space Centre Florida on Wednesday. The astronauts will be riding atop Elon Musk’s commercial space launch venture SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The Falcon 9, after travelling for 28 hours, will dock the ISS about 250 miles over the earth’s surface. Retired NASA astronaut Micheal Lopez-Alegria will be leading the mission.

Also Read: NASA astronaut to return to earth after record 355-days

The 63-year-old Spanish born mission lead Lopez-Alegria is also Axiom’s vice president of business development.

He is set to be joined by Larry Connor, a real estate and technology entrepreneur and aerobatics aviator from Ohio designated as the mission pilot.

The mission’s pilot will be US investor and private pilot Larry Connor. The two other passengers will serve as mission specialists: Israeli investor and former fighter pilot Eytan Stibbe, and Canadian entrepreneur Mark Pathy. The trio each paid $55 million for their seat.