As NASA contractor Axiom Space gears up for its fourth private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in as many years, the space agency is opening more opportunities for commercial firms to fly to the orbital laboratory.
NASA on Wednesday said it is seeking proposals for two new private astronaut missions to the space station, targeted to launch between May 2026 and mid-2027. These would be the fifth and sixth such flights coordinated by NASA following Axiom’s three completed missions and Ax-4, scheduled to launch no earlier than May. Applicants have until May 30 to submit their proposals.
The move comes as the space agency increasingly enlists private companies like SpaceX and Boeing to provide hardware and services for the Artemis moon landing program, Commercial Crew ISS astronaut rotation missions, and other projects.
“NASA remains committed to supporting this expansion by leveraging our decades of expertise to help industry gain the experience needed to train and manage crews, conduct research, and develop future destinations,” said Dana Weigel, NASA program manager for the ISS, in a news release. “Private astronaut missions are a key part of this effort, providing companies with hands-on opportunities to refine their capabilities and build partnerships that will shape the future of low Earth orbit.”
NASA in 2019 opened the ISS up to private astronaut missions, allowing companies to conduct science and commercial activities onboard for the first time. The space agency says the flights open access to low-Earth orbit and help it create cost estimates for future missions.
They also serve as “pathfinders,” it says, to show demand for future commercial space stations. NASA and SpaceX have an agreement to deorbit the ISS at the end of the decade, after which the space agency anticipates it will be replaced by privately built stations. Axiom is developing one of them with the agency’s backing.
According to NASA, proposals for the two new missions “must be brokered by a U.S. entity and use U.S. transportation spacecraft” that meet the ISS requirements for visiting vehicles. Missions will be limited to four crewmembers and 14 days aboard the orbital laboratory. Proposals that involve using the station’s robotic systems or extravehicular activities—such as spacewalks—will “not be considered allowable.” Launch dates will depend on ISS and on-orbit traffic.
Axiom launched the first all-private mission to the space station in 2022. It lasted 17 days and, like later missions, flew with four crew. The 2023 Ax-2 mission sent former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and three paying customers on a 9-day stay. Ax-3 last year featured the first all-European private astronaut crew. And Ax-4 is expected to launch with Whitson and private astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary in the next few weeks. A fifth mission could fly in December.
Complicating matters somewhat is SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who in February called to deorbit the ISS “as soon as possible.” SpaceX is developing a specially designed deorbit vehicle to carry out that mission, during which the space station is expected to break apart as it hurtles toward Earth.
Credit: flyingmag.com
