KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – Axiom Space was selected to lead the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, NASA announced on Monday.
Axiom Mission 2 is set to launch between fall 2022 and late spring 2023 from Kennedy Space Center, according to officials.
Recommended Videos
[TRENDING: Couple nearly speeds into crowd at Christmas parade in Winter Garden, police say | 🔓Here’s your chance to win Garth Brooks concert tickets | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
Officials said Ax-2 will be docked at the space station no longer than 14 days as space crew members, suggested by Axiom, and ultimately, reviewed and approved by NASA, embark on a mission centered on scientific research and outreach activities.
“NASA and Axiom will negotiate in-orbit activities for the private astronauts to conduct in coordination with space station crew members and flight controllers on the ground,” a release shows.
Axiom shares NASA’s goal of “low-Earth orbit commercialization,” NASA officials said in a release.
This announcement comes as NASA and Axiom continue to progress toward Axiom Mission 1, their first private astronaut mission to the space station, scheduled to launch no earlier than Feb. 21, 2022.
NASA’s third private astronaut mission has not been selected.