Axiom Space, a pioneer in human spaceflight and human-rated space infrastructure, released today the findings of its groundbreaking Ax-1 mission, which is scheduled to fly to the International Space Station in February 2022. The multinational crew of four private astronauts, led by Axiom’s Michael López-Alegra, will pioneer a new phase of microgravity utilization among non-government entities on the first fully private mission to ever visit the ISS, laying the groundwork for a full realization of low-Earth orbit’s possibilities and bringing critical findings back to Earth.
“Humanity has only scratched the surface of low-Earth orbit’s potential for breakthrough innovation,” said Michael Suffering, President and CEO of Axiom Space. “Axiom was founded to push that envelope – first with private astronaut missions to the International Space Station, then with the launch and operation of the world’s first commercial space station, and eventually with the creation of a rotating city in space and scaled human presence in orbit.” “We congratulate the Ax-1 crew on their dedication to furthering scientific study and initiating this civilizational leap. We’re certain that this trip will mark not only a watershed moment in space exploration, but also the genuine start of bringing space’s potential for significant discovery to private people and organizations for the first time.”
Research on the Ax-1 Mission
On behalf of Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, Larry Connor, Ax-1 mission pilot, entrepreneur, and non-profit activist investor:
Long-term collaborations with Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic have resulted in Connor’s research undertakings. For most of the previous decade, the Ohio native has helped support innovative research at both universities. Connor’s Mayo Clinic investigations would offer information on the effects of space flight on senescent cells and heart health. At the International Space Station, Connor is expected to be in responsible of maintaining senescent cells, or cells that have ceased dividing. Multiple age-related disorders have been connected to these cells.
“We’re trying to help people on Earth 95 percent of the time,” said James Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D., director of Mayo Clinic’s Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging. “I’m a geriatrician. I never imagined I’d be working with astronauts, yet here we are.”