Axiom Space LLC

[SMS]

https://twitter.com/Axiom_Space/status/1341493338919346179

[yg1968]

With Axiom, Houston Spaceport gets commercial space station tenant:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Mayor-Sylvester-Turner-to-announce-partnership-15822420.php

Axiom Space, based in Houston, plans to develop a 14-acre headquarters campus at the spaceport located at Ellington Airport. It will use this campus to train private astronauts and for production of its Axiom Station. [...]

The commercial space station is expected to cost $2 billion, which Axiom is funding through private investment and revenue from providing full-service human spaceflight missions as well as its research customers and brand partnerships.

The exterior structure of Axiom Station’s modules will be made in Turin, Italy, by Thales Alenia Space, an aerospace company that manufactured parts of the International Space Station. The remainder of the work on these modules, which include installing and testing their various systems, would occur at the Houston Spaceport.

[high road]

2 billion? I know a commercial space station is bound to be cheaper than a station built by committee (of multiple governments), but 98% cheaper?  If that is even remotely possible, that would change my opinion about Starship being the default space station design as soon as a Mars-capable version is available.

However, the proof is in the pudding.

[DistantTemple]

2 billion? I know a commercial space station is bound to be cheaper than a station built by committee (of multiple governments), but 98% cheaper?  If that is even remotely possible, that would change my opinion about Starship being the default space station design as soon as a Mars-capable version is available.

However, the proof is in the pudding.

What has gone before is all pathfinding. (Now) Items can be relatively mass produced, instead of each participant (government) doing one-off modules and items. Thales knows how to make the modules. At Houston I bet they use a lot more replication in each module. Modern electronics etc is vastly cheaper...
They have SpaceX to watch and learn from... and potentially launch on.
Their station is only a few modules to start with so much smaller than the ISS.
So $2Bn is not outrageous.

[TrevorMonty]

Not clear how many modules they are referring to that will make up $2B station. Initial station is relying on FH or Vulcan for launch so limited to 5m fairing. They aren't risking their business on future LV that may or may not fly. After 2025 SS and NG with their larger fairings and mass capabilities will be available allowing for larger modules.

Still need more competition in cargo and crew market to help lower prices. Unmanned stations will open up new market for cargo vehicles which don't need to met ISS stringent safety rules. This is market new small LVs could help service.




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[su27k]

2 billion? I know a commercial space station is bound to be cheaper than a station built by committee (of multiple governments), but 98% cheaper?  If that is even remotely possible, that would change my opinion about Starship being the default space station design as soon as a Mars-capable version is available.

However, the proof is in the pudding.

Note Gateway PPE and HALO costs ~$1.5B together, that's a small station around the Moon, with NASA oversight. Seems to me $2B for a bigger station in LEO with no NASA oversight is entirely doable.

My main concern for Axiom is whether they're counting on NASA's LEO commercialization funding to close their business case, right now Congress keeps cutting that funding, not sure how this will affect Axiom's schedule.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/16/axiom-space-raises-130-million-and-becomes-the-latest-space-unicorn.html

Private spaceflight specialist Axiom Space raises $130 million, becoming the latest space unicorn
PUBLISHED TUE, FEB 16 20219:00 AM EST
Michael Sheetz
@THESHEETZTWEETZ

KEY POINTS

Houston-based Axiom Space is going full tilt into scaling production of private space stations, while also flying paying passengers on trip to orbit.

The company raised $130 million in a new round of funding which was led by C5 Capital.

Axiom declined to comment specifically on its valuation, but CEO Michael Suffredini said it is now “well past the point” of becoming a unicorn – putting Axiom among the top 10 most valuable private U.S. space companies.

[DreamyPickle]

There are very few available comparisons for the cost of a space station. The only private effort is Bigelow and closed down without actually building an operational standalone space habitat.

Axiom seems to be leaning heavily on old-space methodologies and contractors (buying pressure vessels from Italy!) so their cost might end up being comparable to that of government projects. There is plenty of room for competition in this area, especially now that commercial transportation is available.

Limiting modules to a 5 meter diameter would be a mistake since New Glenn and/or Starship will become available soon. They should at least make their designs scalable by diameter or risk being leapfrogged by a competitor.

[TrevorMonty]

Axiom seems to be leaning heavily on old-space methodologies and contractors (buying pressure vessels from Italy!) so their cost might end up being comparable to that of government projects. There is plenty of room for competition in this area, especially now that commercial transportation is available.

Limiting modules to a 5 meter diameter would be a mistake since New Glenn and/or Starship will become available soon. They should at least make their designs scalable by diameter or risk being leapfrogged by a competitor.

5m is good place to start for few modules that make up initial station, need to work with what is flying not what might be flying in few years time.

Those old space companies that Axiom are using having history of building reliable and safe crew habitats. Axiom have wealth of experience gained from Suffredini years of managing ISS which will be used to reduce build and operational costs of Axiom's station.
Here is couple of improvements.
 1) Where possible bring critical components inside pressure vessel reducing need for expensive space walks.
2) Where possible use robotic arm for external service work.
3) Common components eg ISS had 140 different fans, thats is lot spare fans to carry.




   

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[yg1968]

https://twitter.com/Axiom_Space/status/1362849669852917761

[yg1968]

See below:

NASA Signs Contract to Fly a NASA Astronaut on April Soyuz Rotation to the International Space Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-signs-contract-to-fly-a-nasa-astronaut-on-april-soyuz-rotation-to-the-international

https://twitter.com/joroulette/status/1369419496662917122

https://twitter.com/joroulette/status/1369430021719420931

[WmThomas]

Why is Axiom involved in NASA's deal to trade a future US spaceflight seat for a US astronaut's 2021 Soyuz flight seat?

I looked around Axiom's website and didn't see anything about deals with Roscosmos.

Any insight on how the deal came about would be appreciated.

[Tomness]

Why is Axiom involved in NASA's deal to trade a future US spaceflight seat for a US astronaut's 2021 Soyuz flight seat?

I looked around Axiom's website and didn't see anything about deals with Roscosmos.

Any insight on how the deal came about would be appreciated.

Because NASA can't buy seats directly from Russia so it has to be bartered because of Arms Trafficking. Axiom can buy seats from Russia and sell them to Nasa with or without a markup for inkind services. Remember Mike Suffredini use to be ISS program manager for NASA so he knows how munch a juggling act this is.

[Craftyatom]

Why is Axiom involved in NASA's deal to trade a future US spaceflight seat for a US astronaut's 2021 Soyuz flight seat?

I looked around Axiom's website and didn't see anything about deals with Roscosmos.

Any insight on how the deal came about would be appreciated.

An excellent article earlier in the year from Tony Quine suggested that it was in order to circumvent bureaucracy:

This would seemingly be a mechanism to circumvent NASA procurement processes and conclude a deal quickly.

[WmThomas]

Thanks for the replies. It appears that the issue is NASA contracting rules.

Somehow, NASA can quickly contract with Axiom, but not with Roscosmos.

And of course Axiom can contract just as fast as they want to.

[ncb1397]

Thanks for the replies. It appears that the issue is NASA contracting rules.

Somehow, NASA can quickly contract with Axiom, but not with Roscosmos.

And of course Axiom can contract just as fast as they want to.

It seems to me that it is because Roscosmos won't trade like for like services with commercial crew vehicles at the moment but Axiom will. So, you would have to pay Roscosmos if you were dealing with them directly.

And the last exchange of funds with Roscosmos that was done on an expedited basis (for Kate Rubins) was fairly expensive (oddly enough it was nearly $100 million in cash + barter...this is just barter).

[deadman1204]

I understand the need to have split crews, but why is NASA letting roscosmos literally blackmail them? 100million for a friggen seat?

[su27k]

https://twitter.com/Axiom_Space/status/1377294066203918337

The windows of the Axiom Earth Observatory cupola will be the largest ever constructed for space. Seen here, our window frame being rinsed prior to a chemical coating that will ensure corrosion protection. This milestone sets up the remainder of the window test program.

[GWH]

This is how you build a space station that people will want to pay tens of millions to visit:

https://twitter.com/Axiom_Space/status/1380214866451959808

This is just one of 6 (8?) of the  segments of the lower Copula bulkhead.

[GWH]

A section on their website seems like it will be updating regularly:

What We’re Working on Now
 
We are developing an in-house thruster concept for our unique methane-oxygen space propulsion. Pictured is an example of Axiom’s rapid prototyping approach used for the thruster development. The design allows rapid parametric assessment of nozzle, combustion chambers, injector plates, and other thruster design attributes, all using inexpensive machined parts. The parametric thruster will be installed on the Axiom mobile propulsion test stand, set for its first check out hot fire in March.

https://www.axiomspace.com/axiom-station