The ISS is retiring — this startup wants its spot

Congratulations on a long career, International Space Station (ISS) — they’re hard to come by these days.

There'll be some large shoes to fill when it retires around 2030. But one company hasn’t been shy about a promotion.

Meet Axiom Station, a commercial space station hoping to replace the International Space Station (ISS).

So while the ISS gets ready to sip Tang on Myrtle Beach, Axiom Space keeps adding to the ol’ resume...

“Every month matters with the ISS retiring at the end of the decade, which is why we’re moving forward on Axiom Station now,” an Axiom representative told The Hustle.

How it started

Axiom was founded in 2016 by Kam Ghaffarian and Michael Suffredini. Suffredini managed the ISS program from 2005 to 2015. They saw the need for a new space station and later joined the NASA Private Astronaut Mission Program, where Axiom Space ran four private astronaut missions in four years.

Those missions saw:

• 14 astronauts from 11 nations
• 160+ research activities
• 50+ research partners

“Each mission rehearsed what Axiom Station will need to be operational, so crews, ground teams, and the platform will be ready from day one,” the representative said.

Aiming for the stars

Axiom needs to receive a “yes” from NASA. Once it does, the company is ready for blast off.

Since its four initial missions, Axiom has:

• Raised a $525m+ round, which mostly went toward construction.
• Been building Module 1 in Turin, Italy, which will launch no earlier than 2028, with Module 2 following less than a year later. 
• Already signed 50+ international agreements.
• A fifth private astronaut mission is set for 2027.

Governments are the company's anchor customers, followed by researchers, manufacturers, defense agencies, and orbital data centers.

Axiom Space will have a continuously crewed space station, providing global customers with uninterrupted access to microgravity and returning benefits from research, discovery, and in-space manufacturing to Earth — and continuing to work side by side with NASA.

Oh, and the suits

Axiom also holds NASA’s sole contracts for next-gen moon suits, built in partnership with Prada, Oakley, and Nokia.

Enjoy your meeting-less Mondays, ISS!