On Tuesday, January 26, Axiom Space introduced the first fully private crew headed to the International Space Station (ISS). The three members each paid $55 million for their seats on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
To date, only about a dozen private individuals have visited the ISS as tourists, all via Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The most recent was Canadian Guy Laliberté, who spent roughly 10 days there in 2009. Now, private companies are poised to make such journeys routine.
Founded by former NASA manager Mike Suffredini, Axiom Space signed a deal with SpaceX to fly four people to the ISS aboard a Crew Dragon capsule, originally targeting 2021. Details emerged this week with the crew announcement.
The trio includes Ohio entrepreneur Larry Connor from Dayton, Canadian financier Mark Pathy, and Israeli investor Eytan Stibbe—a close friend of Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who perished in the 2003 Columbia disaster.
They'll be led by Michael Lopez-Alegria, a veteran NASA astronaut now with Axiom Space. Each paid around $55 million. Launch date is pending, but the crew plans an eight-day stay on the station, splashing down off Cape Canaveral, Florida.
All have undergone extensive medical evaluations and will complete 15 weeks of training. At 70, Larry Connor will be the second-oldest spacefarer, trailing only John Glenn, who flew at 77 in 1998.
If successful, Axiom aims for up to two private ISS missions annually. The company is also developing proprietary habitats to attach to the ISS starting in 2024, eventually detaching to form an independent commercial station.
Beyond Axiom-SpaceX, Space Adventures is negotiating with Russia's RSC Energia for a mission featuring a client-led spacewalk—a private first.
