It's less than a week until SpaceX’s next Crew Dragon launch. Instead of raising money for a cause just like Inspiration4 last September, this other space company called Axiom Space will help launch four commercial astronauts to the International Space Station for ten days. Doing so will accomplish the first private space mission to the ISS: Axiom-1.
Commanding the mission is Michael Lopez-Alegria: a former NASA astronaut and current director of Business Development at Axiom Space. While at NASA, he logged nearly 258 days in space over the course of four spaceflights. The pilot of Axiom-1 is Larry Connor: the head of the Connor Group real estate investment firm. With experience as a private pilot in his spare time, Connor is best fitted to fly Crew Dragon alongside Lopez-Alegria.
Rounding out the four-member crew are two international mission specialists: Mark Pathy, CEO of Mavrik, a privately owned Canadian investment company; and Eytan Stibbe: a colonel in the Israeli Air Force. Stibbe will be the second Israeli astronaut after the late Ilan Ramon back in January 2003.
In conclusion; Axiom-1, which will launch to the International Space Station on April 6th, is bound to make history not only for the commercial space industry, but also serve as a pathfinder for a replacement to the ISS. All I can say is, “Go Axiom Space!
