British astronauts will fly a commercial space mission to carry out scientific research and demonstrate new technologies as part of an agreement between the UK Space Agency and private company Axiom Space signed on Wednesday.
It is intended that the crew would fly to space and orbit the Earth over a two-week period, though no date has yet been fixed.
Based in Houston Texas, Axiom specialises in organising private and governmental space flights to the International Space Station (ISS), generally using SpaceX rockets.
UK Space Agency chief executive Paul Bate said the agreement was just the starting point for the mission.
“There is much to do, and this agreement is the springboard for the UK Space Agency, Axiom Space and the mission sponsors to assess how we best push forward the frontiers of knowledge and innovation, and showcase the power of space to improve lives on Earth,” he said in a statement.
Axiom CEO Michael Suffredini said the company “will build a comprehensive mission plan in support of the UK’s national and agency objectives to advance its capabilities in space exploration and discovery”.
???? Exciting announcement!
UK astronauts are gearing up for space! ???????????? ????????????????????????????????
We have signed a new agreement with @Axiom_Space that could see UK astronauts in orbit:
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— UK Space Agency (@spacegovuk) October 25, 2023
Talks with potential financial backers of the mission have already begun, the US company told the BBC. Axiom has itself won US$2 billion worth of contracts since it was founded in 2016 and raised US$350 million of investment this summer.
UK companies, universities and research institutions should come forward with ideas for experiments, technology demonstrations and national space education and public engagement programmes for the crew to carry out, the Space Agency said.
The agreement has the full support of the European Space Agency (ESA), the statement said.
Axiom has a contract with NASA to attach at least one inhabitable module to the ISS, reportedly planned for 2026, with a further three also planned.
Last year, NASA announced that ISS operations would end in 2031, after which it will fall into the Pacific Ocean.
Before the decommissioning date, Axiom’s four planned modules will detach and operate as a free-flying, commercial space station.