SpaceX has announced that it plans to take part in four private astronaut missions to the International Space Station by 2023. This announcement adds to their previously scheduled missions to the ISS in early 2021.
Each of the four missions will be on behalf of Axiom, a private commercial spaceflight and space station company. The private company plans to work alongside NASA to train each of the astronauts set to embark on this journey.
Space X’s announcement also reveals a bit about NASA’s future plans. Previously, NASA announced that it would only work on two private astronaut missions per year. If this is true, NASA has just allocated all of its resources for private astronaut missions through 2023.
As for Axiom, Tech Crunch reports that the company “envisions a somewhat less niche, and more continually active, future for commercial orbital space stations.” The company hopes that these missions will help build the infrastructure for continued missions into space. Axiom also hopes to build a second space station alongside the ISS in the future.
