About Axiom Space
About Philippe Starck
The Axiom Space project is due to be ready by 2020 and will cost £ 41 million per ticket
If you think 2018 is the year of flying cars and dream of it since the futuristic episodes of The Jetsons, wait a little bit longer. In 2020 with the Axiom Space project you can go to space - a lot better, right? Unless you have £ 41 million to pay for the ticket and make the 10-day trip to the Axiom space station connected to the ISS. The space tourism program will include a 15-week training led by astronauts to make everything happen in the best way. And no one more conducive to drawing the interiors than the master of technology Philippe Starck.
The first commercial space station will have crew quarters, meal area and common environment for people to interact with. "My vision for the housing module at Axiom Station is a comfortable egg that is inviting with soft walls and a design perfectly in tune with the values and movements of the human body at zero gravity," he commented in an official announcement.
According to the announcement made by Axiom, the project was also designed to improve life in orbit and offer passengers a certain level of luxury. Which was translated into large rectangular windows covered with gold and rounded corners to see the Earth framed from afar. The private cabins also have suede-lined walls dotted with LED lights that change color according to the time and distance between the ship and Earth. "Just like all the shades of day and night lights and colors, this "egg" will bring mood and rhythm to its osmotic inhabitant," said Starck.
Article by NASA
On Feb. 28, 2020, NASA awarded Axiom a firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum potential value, inclusive of options, of $140 million over an up to seven-year ordering period consisting of a five-year base period and a two-year option.
NASA has selected Axiom Space of Houston to provide at least one habitable commercial module to be attached to the International Space Station as the agency continues to open the station for commercial use.
“NASA has once again recognized the hard work, talent, and experience of Houstonians as we expand the International Space Station and promote commercial opportunities in space,” said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. “I’m proud Axiom will continue to build upon Texas’ legacy of leading the nation in human space exploration.”
This selection is a significant step toward enabling the development of independent commercial destinations that meet NASA’s long-terms needs in low-Earth orbit, beyond the life of the space station, and continue to foster the growth of a robust low-Earth orbit economy.
"Today’s announcement is an exciting and welcome step forward in the efforts to commercialize low-Earth orbit,” said Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. “This partnership between NASA and Axiom Space – a Houston, Texas original – illustrates how critically important the International Space Station is, and will continue to be, for developing new technologies for low-Earth orbit and beyond, and for continuing America’s leadership in space. Congratulations to Axiom Space on this exciting award – Houston is known as Space City for a reason, and I look forward to this great Space City company and NASA turning this announcement into reality."
The element will attach to the space station’s Node 2 forward port to demonstrate its ability to provide products and services and begin the transition to a sustainable low-Earth orbit economy in which NASA is one of many customers. NASA and Axiom next will begin negotiations on the terms and price of a firm-fixed-price contract with a five-year base performance period and a two-year option.
“Congratulations to Axiom Space! This is not only a win for Texas, Johnson Space Center, and the International Space Station, it is also a great step forward for NASA as we move towards an increased commercial presence in low-Earth orbit,” said Rep. Brian Babin of Texas. “I am proud to see this work coming to Space City – Houston, Texas – as the Lone Star State continues to lead in space exploration well into the future.”
Developing commercial destinations in low-Earth orbit is one of five elements of NASA’s plan to open the International Space Station to new commercial and marketing opportunities. The other elements of the five-point plan include efforts to make station and crew resources available for commercial use through a new commercial use and pricing policy; enable private astronaut missions to the station; seek out and pursue opportunities to stimulate long-term, sustainable demand for these services; and quantify NASA’s long-term demand for activities in low-Earth orbit.
“Axiom’s work to develop a commercial destination in space is a critical step for NASA to meet its long-term needs for astronaut training, scientific research, and technology demonstrations in low-Earth orbit,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “We are transforming the way NASA works with industry to benefit the global economy and advance space exploration. It is a similar partnership that this year will return the capability of American astronauts to launch to the space station on American rockets from American soil.”
NASA selected Axiom from proposals submitted in response to a solicitation through Appendix I of NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) 2 Broad Agency Announcement, which offered private industry use of the station utilities and a port to attach one or more commercial elements to the orbiting laboratory.
Because commercial destinations are considered a key element of a robust economy in low-Earth orbit, NASA also plans to issue a final opportunity to partner with the agency in the development of a free-flying, independent commercial destination. Through these combined efforts to develop commercial destinations, NASA is set to meet its long-term needs in low-Earth orbit well beyond the life of the station.
The agency will continue to need low-Earth orbit microgravity research and testing to enable future missions to the Moon and Mars, including the arrival of the first woman and next man on the Moon with the Artemis III mission as part of the agency’s Artemis lunar exploration plans.
About Axiom Space
A growing coalition of nations, corporations and individuals are taking on the challenges of lunar exploration, Mars settlement and deep Space exploration. At the same time, the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to be retired in 2024 resulting in the loss of the low Earth orbit services, critical exploration infrastructure, and Earth-focused research provided by ISS for almost two decades.
Axiom’s international commercial space station will stimulate growth of the low Earth orbit (LEO) user community by providing additional and expanded services at ISS and allowing a seamless transition to the Axiom station when ISS is retired. This Axiom Space commercial initiative will allow NASA to realize their mandate to transition the multibillion-dollar LEO market to the private sector.
Address Headquarters 17155 Feathercraft Lane, Houston, Texas 77598
Address West Coast Office, 15233 Ventura Boulevard, Ste 500, Los Angeles, California 91403
Twitter https://twitter.com/Axiom_Space
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/axiomspace_/
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Website https://axiomspace.com/
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axiom_Space
About Philippe Starck
"Subversive, ethical, ecological, political, humorous… this is how I see my duty as a designer.” Philippe Starck
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/StarckOfficial
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/starck
Website https://www.starck.com
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Starck
Links
Dezeen https://www.dezeen.com/2018/06/14/philippe-starck-designs-foetal-interiors-for-axioms-commercial-space-station/
Starck https://www.starck.com/philippe-starck-designs-interiors-of-the-habitation-module-for-axiom-s-first-space-tourism-program-p3406
NY Times https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/09/style/axiom-space-travel.html
Designboom https://www.designboom.com/design/philippe-starck-axiom-habitation-module-space-tourism-06-11-2018/
Cnet https://www.cnet.com/news/vacation-on-the-international-space-station-for-the-person-who-has-everything/