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The final commercial frontier - 13th April 2022
The first completely commercial space mission has arrived at the International Space Station. The four crewmen are from Axiom Space, which has developed a partnership with SpaceX and NASA.
The mission commander, former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, has already been on four space missions. However, his three crewmen are all paying customers with successful careers.
There's American investor Larry Connor. Canadian Mark Pathy's an investor who also donates a lot to charity. And Israeli investor Eytan Stibbe's also a retired fighter pilot. Their tickets, which reportedly cost $55 million each, cover an 8 day stay at the International Space Station.
However, this won't all be spent taking selfies. The Axiom crew's mission includes 25 research projects. One project involves testing smart tiles, which assemble themselves into space accommodation. Another sees them growing tiny cancer tumours to help identify the disease earlier.
The Axiom crew's joining 7 national astronauts on the space station. They're currently three Americans, one German and three Russians.
As the International Space Station's due to close in the 2030s, Axiom plans to construct its own, commercial station.
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