Axiom Space and NASA have signed an agreement to perform the first mission of private astronauts to the International Space Station. The Axiom Mission 1 spaceflight is expected to occur no earlier than January 2022 and will take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft carrying four astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday after a nearly six-month stay at the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Crew-1 mission. Resilience carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Shannon Walker and Victor Glover and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi performed a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico at 2:56 a.m. Eastern time.
Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, has received a 2021 Wash100 Award, the most prestigious award in all of government contracting (GovCon), for driving company growth, developing groundbreaking space technology and expanding our space capabilities. This marks the fourth time in her federal career that Shotwell has won a Wash100 Award.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station Monday and brought a team of astronauts from NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency aboard the orbiting laboratory.
NASA certified SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to transport humans to space, following the completion of a flight readiness review. The space agency said Wednesday it signed the Human Rating Certification Plan to approve Crew Dragon and the Falcon 9 rocket for manned transportation.
Four astronauts have begun preparing for their upcoming flight aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft as part of SpaceX's first operational manned mission with NASA. “We're transitioning from test flights to operational flights. Make no mistake, every flight is a test flight when it comes to space travel, but it's also true that we need to routinely be able to go to the International Space Station," said Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator and a past Wash100 winner.
Axiom Space hopes to hammer out an agreement for its maiden commercial flight to the International Space Station slated for launch in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2021, SpaceNews reported Friday.
SpaceX and NASA plan to launch on Oct. 31 the manned Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station.
