American space agency NASA recently announced that it had asked private industry to provide proposals for commercial astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS).

As specified in a Space.com report, the agency plans to help back "two new private astronaut missions" to low Earth orbit.

The call for proposals foresees two new missions running late next year and 2024 as NASA and the multinational ISS coalition aim to augment private experiments on orbiting complex.

NASA pioneered such an arrangement already with the Houston-based firm Axiom Space, whose first foray sent three paying customers and a retired NASA space flyer to the ISS earlier this year on a mission known as Ax-1.

An Axiom and NASA Initiative

While the Ax-1 astronauts were relatively overtasked in orbit, Axiom and NASA have said they have a sustainable path to move on to its second mission, expected to launch in 2023. NASA announced it is ready to plan for more missions.

According to Angela Hart, manager of the commercial LEO program at the Johnson Space Center of NASA in Houston, such missions provide a distinctive opportunity for the industry to gain the crucial experience needed to select, manage, and train crews for future commercial LEO destinations, as well as work with new science alliances, future commercial partners, and make this non-traditional market grow.

The approach will be particularly crucial for NASA's plans after ISS. The agency hopes to run operations on the orbiting complex until 2030, pending a sign-off from the other ISS partners.

According to Russia, it's bowing out at some point after 2024. The following step in off-Earth living and studies may be a set of commercial space stations that NASA announced early-stage funding for late last year.

Essentially, Ax-1 astronauts, are the first in a new class of pioneers who step forth to lay the groundwork for Axiom Station and the complete realization of the possibilities of low Eart orbit.

Moreover, the Ax-1 astronauts carried out extensive studies and STEM outreach. Their initiatives align with how every philanthropist is carrying out their work at home, in service to all on Earth and all who are following outside it.

Ax-1
(Photo : GREGG NEWTON/AFP via Getty Images)
The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Four astronauts launched in April 2022 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission.

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A 14-Day Mission to the ISS

The newly announced call for proposals has outlined 14-day missions to the ISS. However, specific dates will be announced after the spacecraft docking schedule is finalized, along with in-orbit activities.

NASA also said the missions need to be brokered by the US entity and utilize an American transportation spacecraft.

SpaceX is the lone provider authorized by NASA for astronaut flight services to orbit. Other limitations comprise a requirement for a NASA retiree at the helm of future missions.

AX-1 went to orbit with Michael López-Alegría, retired agency astronaut commanding the mission. Ax-2 will be under the helm of Peggy Whitson, another retiree from NASA.

Proposals are due on Oct. 27 this year. NASA plans to host a pre-proposal conference for interested vendors at 11 a.m. EDT on Sept. 16.

Related information about NASA and Axiom Space is shown on TheSpaceBuket's YouTube video below:

 

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