One of the new space startups with all the loftiest near-term goals has raised $130 million in a Series N round that demonstrates investor self-confidence in the scope of its ambitions: Axiom Space, which has been tapped by NASA to add privately-developed space station segments to the ISS, announced the new funding led by C5 Capital upon Tuesday.
This is the latest in a string of high-profile bulletins for Axiom, which was founded in 2016 by a team including room professionals with a history of demonstrated knowledge working on the International Space Train station. Eventually, Axiom hopes to go through adding the first private commercial quests to the existing station, to creating their own, wholly private on-orbital platforms – for research, space tourism and much more.
Axiom announced people who will take part it it very first private astronaut launch to the ISS, which is set to fly next The month of january using a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. Axiom is the service provider for the mission, brokering the deal for the private spacefarers and establishing training and mission profile. That should be the first time we see a crew made up entirely of private individuals (ie., not astronauts selected, trained and employed by their respective national government) make its way to the train station.
The company was also in discussions with Mary Cruise about filming at least part of an upcoming movie aboard the ISS, and it’s in development with a production company on a forthcoming competition reality show that will see contestants vie for any spot on a private flight to the place .
Axiom is usually emerging as the leading linkage in between private human spaceflight and the existing infrastructure and industry, covering both public sector partners like NASA, and the ‘rails’ of the bourgeoning industry – SpaceX and its ilk. It is been focused on this unique opportunity lengthier than most in the private marketplace, and it has all the relationships and in-house expertise to make it work.
This new, significant injection of capital will help the organization hire, as well as boost its capability to construct the pieces of its forthcoming private space station modules, and also its eventual station itself. The Houston-based company aims to put its ISS modules on the station by 2024, and it has raised $150 mil to date.
