More Than 25 ISS National Lab-Sponsored Investigations on First All-Private Astronaut Mission to the Space Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), April 11, 2022 – On Friday, April 8, the launch of the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station), Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), marked the beginning of a new era of privatized utilization of the orbiting laboratory. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lifted off from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four Axiom Space astronauts: Commander and former NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Larry Connor, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft docked with the ISS on Saturday, and the four Axiom crew members were welcomed onboard. Over the span of eight days on the space station, the Ax-1 crew members will conduct dozens of research experiments, many of which are sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory. In total, the ISS National Lab is sponsoring more than 25 experiments associated with the Ax-1 mission.

With the emergence of private astronaut missions, additional crew members will be available to conduct valuable research and technology development (R&D) onboard the ISS. Through space-based R&D, the ISS National Lab seeks to enable discoveries that can bring value to humanity and further sustained business models in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles.. Axiom is an ISS National Lab Commercial Service ProviderImplementation Partners that own and operate commercial facilities for the support of research on the ISS or are developing future facilities., and through this partnership, the company will continue to launch and support future investigations onboard the orbiting platform.

Several Axiom-supported investigations sponsored by the ISS National Lab are associated with the Ax-1 mission. One of these projects aims to test a device that could provide autonomous health monitoring of astronauts on future long-duration spaceflight missions. Another is a technology demonstration testing a portable electroencephalography (EEG) headset to measure differences in brain activity during spaceflight. And another is an investigation testing autonomous and self-assembling robotic swarms of tiles to help assess the feasibility of in-orbit construction of satellites and future space habitats.

“Congratulations to Axiom Space and SpaceX on this historic first for human spaceflight in low Earth orbit,” said Ray Lugo, chief executive officer for the ISS National Laboratory. “This mission demonstrates that access to space is growing, and we look forward to the results derived from this initial private astronaut mission. We hope that this mission strengthens future conversations with researchers, companies, and other organizations on the potential of not only launching research to the orbiting laboratory but actually become a participant in space-based inquiries themselves.”

To learn more about this mission, including research associated with Ax-1, please visit Axiom’s official media kit.

Media Contact:
Patrick O’Neill
904-806-0035
PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org

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About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory: The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes).) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative AgreementA cooperative agreement is Federal assistance that establishes a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient in which the principal purpose of the relationship is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation.  Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) has managed the National Laboratory® through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit issnationallab.org.

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