BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station will launch from Florida’s Space Coast no earlier than Jan. 9.
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The all-European crew mission will be lead by veteran astronaut Michael Lopez Alegria.
“We are now finishing up some payload training. So, we’re going to spend most of our time doing scientific research of course,” Alegria said. “We have to learn how those experiments work.”
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During a Wednesday news briefing, Axiom Space said the Axiom-3 crew will spend 14 days living and working aboard the ISS, conducting over 30 experiments.
“Axiom Space is building the next generation space station,” said Matt Ondler, president of Axiom Space. “We’re building the first commercial space station. We hope that space station builds off the legacy of the ISS.”
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The first module is set to launch in 2026.
In the meantime, Axiom Space is using these missions to learn how to develop research programs and how to work with its partners.
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