Commercial Human Space Operations: The Future is Near

The concept of “working in space” often evokes images from science fiction, but the number of people actively operating and residing beyond Earth’s atmosphere is poised for substantial growth in the coming years. While the current population engaged in off-world activities remains small, an accelerating trend is underway, with concrete plans in development to facilitate a rapid expansion.

Axiom Space, a leading private space station service provider and future station operator, is at the forefront of these initiatives. Founded by individuals with extensive experience from the International Space Station program, Axiom already conducts research and development missions for commercial clients on the ISS, supported by NASA astronauts. The company intends to commence transporting private astronaut crews to the station beginning in 2021, and is concurrently constructing a new commercial space station designed to eventually succeed the ISS after its retirement.

Amir Blachman, Chief Business Officer of Axiom Space, participated in a discussion at TC Sessions: Space last week alongside NASA Chief of Exploration and Mission Planning Nujoud Merancy, Sierra Nevada Corporation senior vice president and former astronaut Janet Kavandi, and Space Exploration Architecture (SEArch+) co-founder Melodie Yashar. The panel centered on the preparations being made by both public and private organizations for a future where humans will spend increasing amounts of time in space—and at greater distances from Earth.

“This is already happening, and has been for a couple of years,” Blachman stated, responding to a question regarding the timeline for individuals beyond NASA astronauts living and working in space. “Axiom is currently sending crews to the International Space Station for our own missions, while simultaneously building the next-generation commercial space station that will take over from the ISS when it is decommissioned. Our initial mission with a four-person crew is scheduled to launch in 12 months, and those crew members have already completed their medical evaluations and suit fittings. We have also integrated our medical operations and training team with our launch provider. We anticipate launching crews in 2021, again in 2022, with two crews in 2023, and four in 2024—with continued growth thereafter.”

Both Blachman and Merancy highlighted the crucial role of automation and robotic systems in both Axiom’s future commercial space stations and NASA’s planned habitats on the lunar surface, as well as the lunar Gateway, which will serve as a staging point for lunar missions.

“The ISS was designed to be continuously staffed,” Merancy explained. “It wasn’t intended to operate as an uncrewed facility. While ground-based flight controllers manage many of its operations, it requires on-site personnel for maintenance. We won’t have that same level of continuous support for the lunar architecture; the Gateway will only be attended during crew visits, and surface facilities will initially be maintained for just a week at a time, with longer durations planned for the future. However, we still want these systems to be capable of performing valuable scientific research or exploration even without a crew present. Therefore, the ability to utilize tele-robotics and perform maintenance remotely, so that crews can immediately begin work upon arrival, is a primary goal.”

“We’ve been operating under the assumption that habitats and essential infrastructure on Mars, and increasingly on the moon, should be constructed as autonomously as possible,” Yashar added. “We typically plan for precursor missions that occur before crew arrival, with the aim that the majority of systems—including construction, materials handling, excavation, and materials processing—will operate with minimal human intervention.”

Kavandi similarly emphasized the extent to which modern human space systems will integrate automation. When asked if this would increase complexity, she argued that it should, in fact, simplify operations. Counterintuitively, the advancement of human activity in space actually involves a reduction in direct human involvement—particularly concerning the operation and upkeep of in-space infrastructure.

“Sophisticated technologies can sometimes lead to greater simplicity,” Kavandi said. “As our capabilities have grown over the years, particularly with computers, they have become more user-friendly, not more difficult. The objective is to minimize crew time and maintenance requirements, allowing them to focus on research or other mission-specific tasks. Streamlining interfaces and incorporating automation, so that crews only need to intervene when issues arise, and systems generally function smoothly, is the ideal scenario. This would maximize the time available for crews to perform their primary objectives.”