NASA, Axiom Signs Agreement to Send Private Astronaut to ISS

NASA announced that it had reached an agreement with Houston-based Axiom Space to fly the first solely commercial crew to the International Space Station (ISS). That means Axiom would pay NASA generously for the privilege.

"We are excited to see more people have access to spaceflight through this first private astronaut mission to the space station," said Kathy Lueders, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations, in a press conference shared by the space agency on YouTube.

"This is another first for human space flight," added Phil McAlister, NASA's director of commercial spaceflight development in the same press conference.

(Photo : Paolo Nespoli - ESA/NASA via Getty Images)
IN SPACE - MAY 23: In this handout image provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, the International Space Station and the docked space shuttle Endeavour orbit Earth during Endeavour's final sortie on May 23, 2011 in Space. Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli captured the first-ever images of an orbiter docked to the International Space Station from the viewpoint of a departing vessel as he returned to Earth in a Soyuz capsule.

NASA-Axiom Partnership to ISS: Who Would Join Axiom's Four Person Crew?

If all goes according to schedule, Axiom's four-person crew will launch to the station in January 2021 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. SciTechDaily said Axiom Vice President and former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegra, a veteran of three space shuttle flights and one space station rotation, will lead the mission.

He'll be joined by an international team of space newcomers, including Larry Connor, an American entrepreneur, Eytan Stibbe, an Israeli investor and former fighter pilot, and Mark Pathy, a Canadian investor and philanthropist.

As a standard for every space station crew, these private astronauts will be evaluated by NASA and its international partners. They will undergo NASA medical certification testing before being accepted for flight.

The crew would travel to the station for two days and stay for eight days, perform experimental experiments alongside the usual crew, and support various charities in their home countries. They anticipate being kept extremely busy.

López-Alegra clarified that Eytan, Larry, and Mark are not interested in becoming visitors. The crew is looking forward to doing productive work onboard the ISS, he said.

The Cleveland and Mayo Clinics, the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation, and Israel's Ramon Foundation are all supposed to be "publicized."

How Much Is The Private Company Paying?

Since they and Axiom are paying top dollar to go to space, the crew had better work in certain respects. Science Times previously reported that Axiom is paying NASA a hefty fee for playing host, in addition to the price the astronauts are paying SpaceX for flying them to the station. It's officially undisclosed but estimated at about $55 million per seat.

The cost of food for the visiting team, for example, is $2,000 per person per day. Clothing, hygiene products, sleeping bags, and other items cost an additional $1,500 per day per person.

ALSO READ: Space Hotel Will Soon Be Operational as Early as 2027 

It costs up to $164,000 per person, per day, to launch those supplies from Earth aboard cargo ships. The real shocker is the cost of the labor that long-duration space station crew members will do when assisting their visitors-an additional $5.2 million per flight. Another $4.8 million is spent on space-to-ground communications, mission preparation, and execution.

NASA, for example, is paying Axiom $1.69 million for a variety of services, including supplying cold stowage onboard the Crew Dragon to transport station experiments back to Earth. Axiom and its astronauts are obviously paying a lot more, mainly because they have the will and the money to do so.

Other Private Aerospace Firms Still Welcome to Join

Other companies are welcome to join NASA on the ISS, and NASA expects at least some to do so. But for the time being, Axiom is the big-and only-dog. Private crews are expected to be launched to the station at a rate of about two per year, depending on the availability of docking ports at the station, which can be as difficult to come by as finding a free gate at an airport, with NASA and Russian cargo vehicles constantly shuttling up supplies and private travel to the station only growing.

But, if Axiom gets its way, there will be more ports-and, indeed, more stations-and that means more money for the company. NASA and Axiom agreed to add an additional module to the station and add two more in the future. The ISS will be old enough to be retired and de-orbited in the mid-to-late 2020s and sent on an incineration plunge through the atmosphere.

The newer, shinier Axiom modules would detach first, becoming their own free-flying, although modest, space station. Axiom would then be the one to charge fees to visiting crews, establishing a precedent for other private stations to suit. Space, which was once completely funded by the government, is learning to love the free market-and so far, it's doing just fine.

RELATED ARTICLE: NASA Offers $400 Million to Help Private Companies Create New Space Stations

Check out more news and information on Space on Science Times.