Progress toward everyday private space travel has taken another mighty step forward. The Texan commercial space company Axiom has announced details of the proposed launch of its first all-private crew to the International Space Station (ISS). The four member crew is entirely civilian, although the trip will be commanded by ex-NASA astronaut and current Axiom Space Vice-President Michael Lopez-Alegria.

Axiom Mission AX-1

Due for launch early in 2022, Lopez-Alegria will be joined by three wealthy investors: American Larry Connor, Canadian Mark Pathy and the Israeli Eytan Stibbe. In fact, wealthy is a bit of an understatement, as each has paid around $55 million for their seat on the flight.

Whilst it could not realistically be said to be a bargain offer, the intrepid crew do get quite a bit for their money. This will be no quick up and down flight. The plan is for the four men to dock with the ISS, then to spend eight days aboard the space station before returning to Earth. The journey will be made aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, powered by a Falcon 9 rocket.

This news is impressive enough, but for Axiom Space, this is just the beginning. The longer term plan is to send two such missions every year. The resulting increase in residents could make the limited space on board the ISS seem a little crowded, but fortunately Axiom have a plan for this too.

Axiom Space Station

Axiom are planning to build their own private space station. In the early years, this will be in the form of additional modules attached to the ISS, thereby increasing its capacity. Over time these will be added to, before the new Axiom modules are detached from the ISS to become a separate free-floating station, independent of the ISS.

The first of these additional modules is scheduled for launch in 2024, with additional sections to be added in order to provide extra accommodation, research space and even a space manufacturing facility. The ISS itself is due for retirement, and is already surpassing its originally intended lifespan. It is likely that this will be extended, but Axiom’s new modules are intended to be its eventual replacement.

As a crucial step toward bringing this plan to fruition, Axiom have already raised an additional $130 million toward its manufacturing costs. The new funding was announced in February 2021, and is being raised from a variety of investment, venture capital and technology sources. These include C5 Capital, The Venture Collective, Hemisphere Ventures and the Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The total cost of the proposed space station is expected to be at least $2 billion, so further rounds of investment will also be necessary.

The company is also developing a new training and administration headquarters at the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport. This will be available to prepare the company’s proposed new astronauts and passengers for spaceflight, with completion expected in 2023.

Prospects for Space Tourism

It’s clear that Axiom Space’s ambitions are predominantly aimed toward the exclusive end of the market. Budget flights to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and back are not really part of their long term plan. Instead, the goal is to operate a kind of space hotel, where the super wealthy can spend a few days in space in the luxury to which they are accustomed.

Nevertheless, it is clear that the prospect of everyday space travel for more than just the super rich really is just around the corner. Axiom Space are making their pitch for the exclusive end of the market, but others including SpaceX themselves, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and our own Virgin Galactic are all on the verge of providing a more affordable and realistic service. And these are just the biggest names, with innovative alternatives like the balloon service Space Perspective also looking promising.

Prices look like starting from around $100,000 (£70,000) for early launches, but thisa price is sure to fall rapidly as more services begin and completion hots up. Either way, if a trip to space is on your bucket list, it could be a good idea to start saving now…