NASA Selects Axiom Space for Fifth Non-public Astronaut Mission to International Space Station

HOUSTON, Jan. 30, 2026 – NASA and Axiom Space have signed a mission order for the fifth personal astronaut mission (PAM) to the International Space Station – its fifth consecutive PAM award granted by the company. Axiom Mission 5 (Ax-5) is focused to launch no sooner than January 2027 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is anticipated to spend as much as 14 days docked to the area station. The crew complement is pending last agreements and company and worldwide approvals and will probably be introduced at a future date. 

“We are honored NASA awarded Axiom Space its fifth human spaceflight mission,” stated Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, Axiom Space President and CEO. “All four previous missions have expanded the global community of space explorers, diversifying scientific investigations in microgravity, and providing significant insight that is benefitting the development of our next-generation space station, Axiom Station. The award underscores Axiom Space’s commitment to redefining access to space, fostering international collaboration, and enabling research opportunities in low-Earth orbit (LEO) for the benefit of all.”

 As a part of the NASA award, Axiom Space brings on Voyager Technologies, Inc., as a teammate collaborating in payload integration.

“Voyager’s role on Ax-5 reflects a proven mission-management heritage built through years of supporting commercial payloads on the space station,” stated Dylan Taylor, chairman & CEO, Voyager Technologies. “We are proud to partner with Axiom Space in support of the Ax-5 mission. As commercial LEO destinations mature into sustained operational domains, missions like Ax-5 will further demonstrate the power of end-to-end execution across human spaceflight, research payloads, and the commercial infrastructure shaping the future space economy.”

As the United States transitions from government-led to commercial-enabled area operations, Axiom Space is likely one of the solely corporations with confirmed human spaceflight expertise poised to steer on this new period. In 4 years, the corporate efficiently executed 4 missions onboard the area station, flying 14 personal and authorities astronauts, who carried out greater than 160 science and analysis actions, and greater than 100 outreach and media engagements whereas on orbit.

Previous Axiom Space missions had been commanded by retired NASA astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space Chief Astronaut, and Peggy Whitson, Axiom Space Vice President of Human Spaceflight. These missions achieved many firsts, together with the primary feminine Saudi astronaut and first Turkish astronaut to launch to area, and the primary time that astronauts from the nations of Saudi Arabia, India, Poland, and Hungary lived and labored onboard the International Space Station.

The discoveries ensuing from these missions have been groundbreaking – diabetes analysis, demonstrating real-time glucose monitoring and insulin supply in microgravity; and most cancers analysis, testing a therapeutic drug which entered medical trials final 12 months. These varieties of actions sparked the institution of the Axiom Space University Alliance final 12 months, which not solely identifies key areas of scientific alternative but in addition facilitates the event of world analysis priorities that replicate collective enter and strategic worth, enabling real-world breakthroughs benefitting everybody on Earth. Axiom Space will proceed to work with main science establishments and researchers on personal astronaut missions, increasing the alternatives for the development of science.

Axiom Space seems ahead to a different thrilling 12 months forward working with the worldwide area group to leverage the distinctive microgravity setting to additional human exploration, discovery, innovation, and the event of a world area financial system.