Space X, the company of magnate Elon Musk, is carrying out the flight that sent the first personal mission in history to the International Space Station (ISS). Four crew members from the private company Axiom travel on the SpaceX Dragon ship. Three of them are newcomers. Michael Lopez-Allegria, Commander of the Axiom Space-1 (AX1) mission, is the only experienced astronaut. Born in Madrid but of American nationality, he first flew into space with NASA in 1995.
The other three members of the crew are “investors” who have each paid more than 50 million Axiom to participate in this mission, the organizers of which refuse to qualify for “space tourism”. Along with Lopez-Allegria travel Canadian businessman Mark Patti, American real estate mogul Larry Connor and former Israeli Air Force pilot Ethan Steebe.
“This is a real job that requires a lot of preparation and I do not think it is soothing,” Lopez-Allegria told Space.com last year. The truth is that the mission, which will last a total of 10 days (eight of them aboard the ISS) involves the performance of 25 scientific experiments. This is not at all like the short spaceflight that magnates like Jeff Bezos or Richard Branson have been doing in recent months.
Among the studies agreed with various scientific and academic institutes, experiments on satellite self-assembly technology, the study of future cosmic habitats, cancer stem cells, and air purification systems.
Privatization of space
The ultimate goal of the AX-1 is to take the first step in building the future Axiom private space station, which will require “hundreds of missions,” the company said.
This whole operation is a crucial step towards the privatization of the so-called “space race” in the West, as the transportation of crews and goods between Earth and the ISS has also been outsourced by NASA to private companies.
“This is really the first step when a group of people who do not belong to any government have the opportunity to do something important in Earth orbit,” said Mike Supredini, CEO of Axiom and former ISS Program Director. NASA.
These private astronauts will live in the USS IS territory. So far seven people have been on the space station, three American, three German and three Russian astronauts.
According to the planned plan, they were also going to receive “guests” in the Russian sector of the ISS, but it is unknown whether a meeting will be held in the context of the invasion war in Ukraine. On April 2, Russia threatened to suspend cooperation with the ISS in response to Western sanctions imposed as a result of the war.
Source: El Diario
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
