Officials with both Axiom Space and NASA said this will help the new space station fly freely quicker, relying less on the International Space Station.
What you need to know
The adjusted plan now calls for Axiom Space, headquartered at the Houston Spaceport near Ellington Airport, to launch the payload power thermal module, or PPTM, first, which shifts the original order officials planned to launch the modules into space, according to a Dec. 18 news release from Axiom.
The new plan will reduce the amount of time new space station is attached to the International Space Station prior to being able to fly freely, officials said.
Following the launch of the PPTM, officials will launch other modules containing habitats, an airlock, and a research and manufacturing facility, according to the news release.
Those habitat and facility modules will attach to the free-flying PPTM, allowing the space station to fly without additional assistance quicker, officials said. The order of modules launching into space will now be as followed:
- PPTM
- Habitat module one
- Airlock module
- Habitat module two
- Research and manufacturing module with earth observatory
This change means the new commercial space station will be free-flying following the first module’s launch, which officials with Axiom and NASA said could come as early as 2028.
The background
NASA awarded the contract in 2020 that called for Axiom to build the world's first commercial space, according to NASA’s release.
In 2023, Axiom cut the ribbon on its new headquarters at Houston Spaceport, with plans to assemble key parts of the modules making up the new commercial space station on-site, Community Impact previously reported.
Stay tuned
The structure for the PPTM is being built by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy and will be relocated to Houston no later than fall 2025, according to Axiom’s release. Once there, Axiom will work to integrate the internal structures and systems of the module.
Editor's note: This story was corrected to reflect the change in schedule will reduce how much time the commercial space station is attached to the International Space Station.
