Axiom Space Prepares for its Fourth Mission to the ISS

Axiom Space is readying for its fourth mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for launch on Tuesday, June 10. CEO Tejpaul Bhatia describes this mission as "a little bit of a victory lap." Not only does this mark their fourth mission to the ISS, but it’s also the company's second "fully national mission," with astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary participating.

Bhatia revealed that this mission would be Axiom Space’s first to break even financially after suffering losses on previous voyages. Although revenue-generating, these missions are not part of Axiom's long-term business model. The company aims to attach commercial modules to the ISS, which will eventually launch as the free-flying Axiom Station.

The AX-4 mission underpins the growing demand for commercial space flights and provides patriotic moments akin to the "Apollo moments" for the countries involved. "It shows how space is opening up because of commercial companies. For all three countries, this will be their second astronaut ever," said Bhatia, highlighting a shift from Space Race 1.0 to Space Race 2.0.

Previously utilizing SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft for their missions, Axiom Space acts as a marketplace integrator and broker, painting a promising future for commercial space endeavors, demonstrating that no singular entity can achieve becoming multi-planetary.

However, the political landscape could pose challenges. Recently, friction between President Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk emerged, with potential implications for spaceflight initiatives. Axiom Space has not commented directly on how this may impact the industry, but Bhatia is optimistic, emphasizing the entrepreneurial spirit required to push space exploration forward.

Bhatia, who has been with Axiom for four weeks, succeeded co-founder Dr. Kam Ghaffarian as CEO. With a background at Google Cloud and a personal passion for space, Bhatia expresses his desire to travel to space, resonating with the company's vision for human space travel.