NASA has officially signed an order with Axiom Space for the fifth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), with a targeted launch date no earlier than January 2027 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman remarked, “The award of our fifth private astronaut mission shows that commercial space is not a distant promise, but a present reality.” He emphasized that these missions are enhancing access and competition in low Earth orbit, which is crucial for NASA’s future endeavors toward the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The upcoming Axiom Mission 5 is expected to spend up to 14 days aboard the ISS. However, the precise launch date will be contingent upon the overall traffic of spacecraft at the orbital outpost and other logistical considerations.
According to Dana Weigel, manager of the ISS Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, “The International Space Station is a critical platform for enabling commercial industry in low Earth orbit.” She noted that private astronaut missions facilitate the ISS’s use as a proving ground for emerging markets and technologies while contributing to scientific research and outreach efforts.
Axiom Space will propose four crew members to NASA and its international partners for evaluation. Once these candidates are approved, they will undergo training with NASA, international collaborators, and the launch provider in preparation for their mission.
“We are honored NASA awarded Axiom Space its fifth human spaceflight mission,” stated Jonathan Cirtain, president and CEO of Axiom Space. He highlighted that the previous four missions have broadened the global community of space explorers, diversified scientific investigations in microgravity, and provided valuable insights for the development of the next-generation Axiom Station.
Axiom Space will procure mission services from NASA, which includes crew consumables, cargo delivery, storage, and other in-orbit resources necessary for daily operations. In return, NASA will acquire from Axiom the capability to return scientific samples that require cold storage during transit back to Earth.
This selection was made following proposals received in response to NASA’s March 2025 NASA Research Announcement. The agency is also in the process of finalizing the mission order for the sixth private astronaut mission to the ISS, with further details to be released in due course.
These missions aboard the ISS, including private astronaut missions, play a vital role in advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that will support future human and robotic exploration as part of NASA’s broader Moon and Mars exploration strategy, including initiatives under the Artemis campaign.
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