Axiom astronauts to train at the European Astronaut Centre
Facilities at ESA's European Astronaut Centre are buzzing with training activities. While a new generation of ESA astronauts began their basic training last month, private astronauts Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner, part of Axiom Space's Crew-2, visited the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) near Cologne, Germany, in February to receive training by ESA instructors for their upcoming journey to the International Space Station.
The Axiom-2 crew is currently scheduled to launch no earlier than 21 May 2023.
A private ticket to space
Axiom Space currently operates private missions to the Space Station and aims to build the first commercial space station in low-Earth orbit.
After their first 17-day mission in 2022, Axiom Space is now preparing their second spaceflight for a 10-day stay full of scientific research, as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach activities.
Among the Axiom crew, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is a familiar face. In 2008, she could welcome the European Columbus module to the station. She commanded the Expedition 16 crew including former ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts and Expedition 51 crew including ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and overlapped with ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli during Expedition 52.
“It will be my fourth spaceflight, and it is very exciting for me to return to the International Space Station,” says Peggy. With a background in biochemistry, she is looking forward to continuing research activities on stem cell studies during the mission.
John Shoffner will be supporting commander Peggy Whitson, as the pilot of the Axiom-2 mission. He is former CEO in the telecommunications sector, athlete, and race driver. John is a first-time flyer and is excited to bring awareness about how space can inspire young people and encourage their curiosity and skills.
“I am really looking forward to the flight. I followed human spaceflight all my life and this is a chance for me to try to do some valuable and important work on orbit related to STEM education,” says John.
To complete the four-member crew, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Alqarni who are both representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be serving as mission specialists on the Axiom Mission 2.
Private astronaut training in Europe
Private astronauts will live and work among other European and international astronauts on the Space Station. As such, they need to be familiarised with ESA systems and activities at EAC, the home and training base of the European astronaut corps.
“At EAC, private astronauts learn everything about the Columbus module, how to safely operate it and which ESA experiments are currently taking place” explains Ruediger Seine, Space Training Team Lead at EAC.
The training of commercial astronauts at EAC is provided by the Italian company ALTEC, while ESA makes the training facilities available, both at full cost of the commercial partners.
ESA’s training for private astronauts takes less time than European professional astronaut training, as Axiom Space astronauts do not run any experiments or maintenance work for ESA, and the crews fly on shorter missions.
Peggy and John enjoyed their training at the European Astronaut Centre meeting both old and new friends along the way. “I’ve been here a few times and so it is fun to get to see people that I have worked with for many years, but it is also fun to meet the new flight controllers,” says Peggy.
“This is my first trip to an ESA establishment. It is a privilege to be here for the mission we are on. It is a fabulous experience and I am enjoying it immensely,” adds John.
What the future holds
“Space agencies will have to adjust to additional participants operating in space. It is likely that the commercial sector will become the dominant component in low-Earth orbit, while space agencies will focus on projects in deeper space,” explains Ruediger. “When the International Space Station ceases to exist, ESA is planning to perform activities with commercial companies,” he adds.
Peggy is excited about being part of a mission that can be seen as "a precursor mission to develop a low-Earth orbit commercial economy in space,” she says.
For John, this also offers a chance to contribute to the values of professional astronauts. “Professional astronauts have higher roles and more daily tasks, that’s where we can come in and fill a valuable role, looking for things like STEM education that help people see what the new access of space can be.”
“Private missions and future commercial space stations will create additional opportunities for research in space. We will have to see if the need and the offer match,” Ruediger concludes.