The construction of the world’s first commercial space station and a commercially developed Extravehicular Mobility Unit is being undertaken by Axiom Space. Subsystem design, integration, and testing are underway in Axiom’s Houston labs. Following the completion of preliminary and critical design reviews in collaboration with NASA, Axiom partners at Thales Alenia Space began welding and machining activities for the primary structures of Axiom Station's first module.
The Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit provides a next-generation spacesuit for NASA’s Artemis Project. Integration and design continue towards providing astronauts with advanced capabilities for space exploration in a commercially developed spacesuit which is needed to access, live and work in low-Earth orbit, on the Moon, and beyond.
Axiom has recently decided to change its method for assembling its commercial space station. By altering the order in which it will launch the station's modules to Earth orbit, Axiom Space will be able to begin operating a free-flying platform as early as 2028, the Houston-based company announced this week. Axiom previously planned to start operating its private space station in 2030, so the new plan moves up the timeline by two years.
NASA awarded Axiom Space a contract in 2020 to attach one or more modules to the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is set to retire by 2030 at the earliest when it will be deorbited to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The original plan called for Axiom to detach a multi-module group from the ISS when it is retired. The group of Axion modules will become a commercial outpost in low Earth orbit that will continue operating after the ISS is gone. But that plan has now been altered.
Mark Greeley is Axiom Station program manager and Chief Operating Officer. He said last December, “Our ongoing assessment of the assembly sequence revealed opportunities for flexibility and enhancements, With the International Space Station needing to protect for the ability to accommodate a deorbit vehicle on station, we were able to accelerate this work to support the program's requirements.”
To create its space station, Axiom plans to launch the following five modules: a payload/power/thermal element, an airlock, a research/manufacturing hub, and a pair of habitat modules. The original plan called for Axiom to launch the Habitat 1 module to the ISS first, followed by the additional elements.
The revised assembly sequence calls for the Payload, Power and Thermal module launch to the ISS first. This module could detach from the station to become a free flyer called Axiom Station as soon as 2028, according to the company.
Greeley said, “Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition from a government to a commercial platform, maintaining a continuous human presence in orbit to serve a community of global customers and partners, to include NASA.”
Founded in 2016, Axiom Space made history with its Ax-1 mission in April 2021. The company became the first to deliver a flight of all private citizens to the ISS.
With the ISS' impending retirement, a new era of private space stations is set for the coming years. SpaceX, Blue Origin, Sierra Space and others are all looking to play a role.
Axiom Space