Axiom Space

Texas-based Axiom Space provides human spaceflight services. As of December 2024, it was developing the first commercial space station, Axiom Station. The station’s first module was set for launch in 2026, with three additional modules planned by 2031. Once complete, Axiom Station would operate independently from the International Space Station (ISS), featuring advanced crew quarters, research facilities, and increased payload capacity.

The company conducted the Ax-1 mission in 2022, the first privately funded crewed mission to the ISS, as part of its goal to establish a commercial low-Earth orbit station. In April 2023, Axiom introduced the Space Access Program to support nations in developing spaceflight programs without building their own infrastructure. In August 2024, the Ax-4 mission was postponed from its initial scheduled launch in October 2024 to 2025, due to interagency approval processes requirements.

In September 2024, Axiom faced challenges, including a leadership change, financial difficulties, staff reductions, and voluntary pay cuts. The following month, Axiom revealed its Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit, developed with Prada for NASA’s Artemis missions. Axiom’s Ax-4 mission, launched in December 2024, carried astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to the ISS to advance science and national space programs.

Key customer and partnerships

Axiom Space collaborates with a diverse range of organizations, including Airbus, Ansys, Boeing, Confocal Science, Danish Aerospace Company, Intuitive Machines, ISS US National Lab, KBR, Maxar, NASA, Space Systems International Monaco, Space Tango, SpaceX, and Thales Alenia Space. In November 2022, the company partnered with Virgin Galactic for microgravity research and training missions and signed an MOU with LEOCloud to deliver space-based cloud services. It also renewed its partnership with the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to advance the Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut program.

In March 2023, Axiom Space signed a contract with Korean healthcare firm Boryung to develop space-based projects in low-Earth orbit, with plans to finalize the joint venture by May 2023. In April 2023, the company partnered with Cedars-Sinai to investigate in-space production of stem cells, supported by a NASA grant of USD 2 million. By August 2024, Axiom had formalized an agreement with ISRO to send an Indian astronaut to the ISS aboard the Ax-4 mission. A month later, it partnered with Burjeel Holdings to conduct medical research and test new space technologies during Ax-4.

Axiom Space also engages in notable government and international collaborations. The company signed an MOU with the Italian government in May 2022 to expand commercial space utilization. Additionally, Axiom was awarded multiple NASA contracts, including private astronaut missions to the ISS and the construction of Artemis moonwalking spacesuits valued at up to USD 3.5 billion.