All-British Astronaut Mission Planned by Houston-based Axiom Firm

41

The last British astronaut to journey into the orbit above Mother Earth was Tim Peake, a name lauded for his stellar enterprise. However, the potential for a successor, or in fact four, is currently in discussion as an all-British mission is being prepared for launch.

Axiom, a Houston-based firm with a penchant for organising visits to the formidable International Space Station, is the propelling force behind this ambitious venture. Utilizing its well-established relations with the UK Space Agency, Axiom has entered into a preliminary agreement, aiming to set this audacious mission in motion.


The funding required for the grand undertaking is estimated to be £200 million or perhaps in excess. Yet, worry not, as this financial burden does not fall upon taxpayer’s shoulders. On the contrary, the cost will be borne by commercial channels. Axiom reassures that engaging conversations aimed at procuring the necessary finance are already in progress with various corporate and institutional entities.

It was the year 2015 when Tim Peake undertook a memorable journey as an astronaut of the prestigious European Space Agency to the ISS. On hearing about this potential all-British mission, he remarked on the uniqueness, stating, “No-one has done a ‘national mission’, commercially, like this before. It’s a new model and would be paving the way for how we do space in the future.”

There are a multitude of exciting uncertainties at this phase; no crew has been concretely selected nor a plan formulated for their selection process. Even the destination remains a thrilling mystery.

In previous instances, Axiom has relied on the SpaceX capsules, pioneered by visionary entrepreneur Elon Musk, to transport astronauts to the ISS. Whether the British mission follows suit or evolves into a free-flyer is yet to be seen.

Axiom, an entity born from the mind of an ex-NASA official in charge of the ISS operations, has thus far, demonstrated its prowess in space by successfully completing two missions. With a third mission ready to rocket into the New Year, Axiom hopes to establish a sustainable economy in low-Earth orbit that veers away from solely relying on billionaires and government funds.

Commending the UK Space Agency for its forward-thinking strategy, Tejpaul Bhatia, Axiom’s Chief Revenue Officer, believes the UK occupies a unique and leading position in global space commercialisation. Bhatia’s perspective resonates with UKSA Chief Executive Paul Bate’s optimism about the approaching mission’s commercial essence.

The timeframe for the launch of the “Axiom-UK” mission remains a blurred vision for now due to financial and mission profiling constraints. Accommodating commercial visitors into the space station is a selective process influenced by NASA’s availability and substantial pricing.

Axiom is currently refining its plans of not just making orbital visits but establishing a stationary presence in space. The company is in the process of adding modules to the ISS to create an independent commercial station when the veteran laboratory ceases operations.

The Axiom method, amalgamating private and public funding to promote more citizens’ foray into orbit, has piqued European member states’ interest, with Hungary, Sweden, Poland and Italy joining the Axiom bandwagon.

Daniel Neuenschwander, Esa’s director of human and robotic exploration, emphasised the significance of preparing for the post-ISS era in low-Earth orbit, unveiling intriguing potentials for future space exploration.