A little while ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked with the International Space Station’s Harmony module completing the first part of its private Axiom Mission 1 or simply Ax-1 mission that began with its launch yesterday. After they verify that the pressure has been correctly balanced, the hatch will be opened to allow Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe, and Mark Pathy to enter the Station.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft is equipped with an automated docking system to the International Docking Adapter (IDA). The approach procedure, with safety as a top priority, was extensively tested during previous missions of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Precisely because of these security measures there was a delay in the Endeavour’s arrival. The feed from a camera on the spacecraft was not reaching the Station’s computer, so the crew didn’t have all the information deemed necessary to monitor the approach. Eventually, the problem was solved and the docking was accomplished with a 45-minute delay.
The Endeavour crew will remain on the International Space Station for approximately 8 days during which the astronauts will conduct various experiments. The training for the Ax-1 mission covered not only everything needed to travel into space and be prepared for possible emergencies but also to be able to work on the Station like its regular crew.
The Ax-1 private mission is only the first step for Axiom Space, a company that has great ambitions for the commercial use of space. Missions in partnership with SpaceX to send people to the International Space Station to conduct work on behalf of companies are expected to expand over time. The company’s project will also be carried out in collaboration with NASA within a contract that also includes the supply of at least one module for the Station.
According to plans, the Axiom Space module is expected to launch in 2024 but it may just be the first one. The developments also depend on the future of the International Space Station, which has become more cloudy following the new tensions that emerged after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. NASA and ESA would like to extend the Station’s life until 2030 but Russia could end its collaboration and try to follow its plans for a new national station even though it had many years of delay in sending its last modules for the Station into orbit.
Axiom Space’s final plan is to create its own private space station. It would be used both for scientific and technological research and for space tourism. The developments will also depend on the possibility of sending various modules into orbit to be used for different purposes. Meanwhile, the Ax-1 mission represents a success for the start of this program.
