Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4), a private spaceflight planned for the International Space Station (ISS), organized by Axiom Space Inc., based in Houston, Texas, will bring together a diverse crew, aiming to strengthen relationships between nations. This collaboration will contribute to shared goals and initiatives in space, benefiting everyone involved.

This 14-day mission is part of Axiom Space’s ongoing partnership with NASA and marks their fourth mission, following Axiom Missions 1, 2 and 3. The mission will be launched using a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Set to launch no earlier than in October 2024, Ax-4 will build on Axiom Space’s previous efforts to establish a lasting human presence in low-Earth orbit (LEO). The mission aims to further advance the technology and expertise required for sustainable space living.

Wholly Global Space Collaboration

Axiom-4, utilizing a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, will have four astronauts from several nations, showing increasing global interest in space exploration. This mission highlights the importance of international teamwork and will help boost worldwide space efforts. According to the latest reports, the prime flight crew will feature veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson from Axiom Space, US, serving as Space Commander on her fifth spaceflight.

The crew will also include Shubanshu Shukla from ISRO, India, on his first spaceflight; Sławosz Uznański from the European Space Agency (ESA), a Polish astronaut, on his inaugural mission; and Tibor Kapu Hunor from the Hungarian space agency Hunor, also embarking on his first spaceflight. As back-up members of the crew, astronauts Michael López-Alegría from Axiom Space and Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair from ISRO, India, have been selected.

Bolstering ISRO-NASA Collaboration

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to the US in June 2023, India and the US announced plans for a joint ISRO-NASA mission to the ISS. To achieve this goal, ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) has signed a Space Flight Agreement (SFA) with NASA’s chosen service provider, Axiom Space Inc., for the forthcoming Axiom-4 mission to the ISS, according to ISRO.

The selected Gaganyatris will begin their training for the mission in the first week of August 2024. The knowledge and experience gained from this mission will benefit India’s Human Space Program and enhance the collaboration between ISRO and NASA in human spaceflight, according to ISRO.

An Extensive NASA-Axiom Partnership

The Ax-4 crew members will train with NASA, international partners and SpaceX for their mission. Axiom Space has hired SpaceX to provide transportation to and from the space station. The training will ensure that the private astronauts are familiar with the Dragon spacecraft’s systems, procedures and emergency protocols.

Axiom Space is getting NASA’s help through two agreements

A Mission-Specific Contract, and A Reimbursable Space Act Agreement

What does it mean?

This means NASA will provide specific services for the mission and Axiom will pay NASA for these services.

Through the Mission-Specific Contract, Axiom Space is getting crew supplies, cargo delivery, storage and daily-use resources from NASA. The contract also includes up to seven extra contingency days on the space station. The cost of these services follows NASA’s pricing policy for anything beyond the basic space station capabilities. The contract also outlines services that NASA may get from Axiom Space. These include returning scientific samples that need to be kept cold, transporting other cargo and utilizing the private astronaut mission commander’s time to help with NASA science or other tasks.

Under the Space Act Agreement, Axiom Space will pay NASA for services that support the mission. These services include training for members of the crew and the use of facilities at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Additionally, SpaceX has a similar agreement with NASA Kennedy for launch services.