Chennai, Jan 31 (.) The US space agency NASA and the US-based Axiom Space have signed a mission order for the fifth private astronaut mission (PAM) to the International Space Station, marking the agency’s fifth consecutive PAM award to the company.
Axiom Mission 5 (Ax-5) is targeted to launch no earlier than January 2027 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission is expected to remain docked to the space station for up to 14 days.
Crew members for Ax-5 are pending final contractual arrangements, as well as agency and international approvals, and will be announced at a later date.
“We are honoured that NASA awarded Axiom Space its fifth human spaceflight mission,” said Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, President and CEO of Axiom Space. “All four previous missions have expanded the global community of space explorers, diversified scientific research in microgravity, and generated insights that are directly benefiting the development of Axiom Station, our next-generation commercial space station.”
Cirtain added that the award highlights Axiom Space’s commitment to expanding access to space, advancing international collaboration, and enabling research opportunities in low-Earth orbit for the benefit of all.
As part of the mission, Axiom Space has selected Voyager Technologies, Inc. as a teammate, with responsibilities focused on payload integration.
“Voyager’s role on Ax-5 reflects a proven mission-management heritage built through years of supporting commercial payloads aboard the space station,” said Dylan Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Voyager Technologies. “We are proud to partner with Axiom Space on Ax-5 as commercial low-Earth orbit destinations evolve into sustained operational environments.”
Taylor noted that missions such as Ax-5 demonstrate the value of integrated execution across human spaceflight, research payloads, and the commercial infrastructure shaping the future space economy.
As the United States transitions from government-led to commercially enabled space operations, Axiom Space remains one of the few companies with demonstrated human spaceflight experience positioned to lead this shift.
Over the past four years, Axiom Space has successfully completed four missions to the International Space Station, flying 14 private and government astronauts. These missions supported more than 160 scientific and research activities, along with over 100 outreach and media engagements conducted in orbit.
Previous Axiom missions were commanded by retired NASA astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space Chief Astronaut, and Peggy Whitson, Vice President of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space.
The missions achieved several historic milestones, including the first female Saudi astronaut and the first Turkish astronaut to travel to space, as well as the first astronauts from Saudi Arabia, India, Poland, and Hungary to live and work aboard the International Space Station.
It may be recalled that last year, Indian Air Force officer Shubhanshu Shukla was part of the Ax-4 mission which realised the return to human spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary with each nation’s first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years. While Ax-4 marks these countries’ second human spaceflight mission in history, it became the first time all three nations executed a mission on board the International Space Station.
According to Axiom Space, research conducted during these missions has produced groundbreaking results, including advancements in diabetes research through real-time glucose monitoring and insulin delivery in microgravity, and cancer research involving a therapeutic drug that entered clinical trials last year.
These efforts contributed to the establishment of the Axiom Space University Alliance in 2025, which identifies key scientific opportunities and helps coordinate global research priorities.
. VJ SAS .