Axion, SpaceX & NASA Kickstart Construction Of The New Space Station
"We are not space tourists," these are the words of one of the astronauts about to launch on the first Axiom mission onboard a SpaceX spacecraft to the International Space Station. Private companies have been gaining traction in space. While some companies specialize in taking tourists on a joy ride, others work to create an innovative open and international space economy.
The future of the ISS has become uncertain as Russia continues the invasion of Ukraine. While NASA assures cooperation between U.S. and Russia in the ISS continues, as usual, the head of the Russian Space agency threatened that the station would collapse without Russian propulsion systems. Elon Musk responded that SpaceX was ready to save the station if needed.
Related: Here's How NASA Will Dispose Of The ISS
On March 30, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon Crew Capsule en route to the ISS. The first Axiom mission astronauts will be on board the spacecraft. Axiom says the mission marks a before and after. It is just one of the hundreds of launches Axiom has planned for the following years. NASA has already awarded Axiom with the contract to construct a new section of the ISS, the Axiom Segment. The segment is expected to expand and later detach from the ISS to give birth to the new U.S. private international space station.
Axiom says that the first private space station is already in construction. The station will include the Axiom Hub 1, Hub 2, the Axiom Lab, and the Power Tower. Expanded crew quarters, research capacity, state-of-the-art space laboratory, advanced space manufacturing facility, and an expanded environment with life support and payload capacity crown the station. The new Axiom station will also have a cupula facing Earth with
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