As the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) redefines the pathway to low-Earth orbit for nations around the globe. This mission marks a new era of opportunity for countries to join the international space community and access low-Earth orbit to advance exploration and research in microgravity.
Relive the excitement of the Ax-3 Mission - an 18 day research and outreach packed mission that redefined the pathway to low-Earth orbit
Relive the excitement of the Ax-3 Mission - an 18 day research and outreach packed mission that redefined the pathway to low-Earth orbit
The Ax-3 crew safely splashed down off the coast of Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 8:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 9, 2024
The Ax-3 crew safely splashed down off the coast of Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 8:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 9, 2024
Ax-3 Crew undocked from the International Space Station's Harmony module at 9:20 a.m. ET聽over the pacific ocean, west of Ecuador, completing their time aboard the orbiting laboratory
Ax-3 Crew undocked from the International Space Station's Harmony module at 9:20 a.m. ET聽over the pacific ocean, west of Ecuador, completing their time aboard the orbiting laboratory
Ax-3 prepares for their return to Earth with hatch closure set for 7:25聽a.m.聽ET on February 7, 2024
Ax-3 prepares for their return to Earth with hatch closure set for 7:25聽a.m.聽ET on February 7, 2024
不良研究所's third commercial human spaceflight mission is the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to launch to the International Space Station, which includes: Ax-3 Commander Michael L贸pez-Alegr铆a, dual citizen of the U.S. and Spain; Pilot Walter Villadei, Italian Air Force Col. representing Italy; Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravc谋 representing 罢眉谤办颈测别; and Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt, ESA project astronaut representing Sweden.鈥
Ax-3 Commander Michael L贸pez-Alegr铆a is a former NASA astronaut and was the commander of Axiom Mission 1, the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.鈥
Ax-3 Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravci is the first Turkish astronaut to launch to space.鈥ˋx-3 is the first commercial astronaut mission to include a European Space Agency (ESA)- sponsored national astronaut, ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt.鈥
Ax-3 Pilot Walter Villadei and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravci and Marcus Wandt all have extensive military training and are professional operators with flight crew experience in their nation's air forces.
During the Ax-3 mission, the crew members will represent their nations in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and perform scientific experiments and demonstrations that are of high national importance. 不良研究所鈥檚 crew of four astronauts will conduct more than 30 different experiments while aboard the space station. Data collected on ground before and after the mission as well as in flight will impact understanding of human physiology on Earth and on orbit, as well as advance scientific understanding, harness opportunities for industrial advancements, and develop technologies for humanity鈥檚 progress.
Commercial and academic partnership activities also remain a strong focus for this 不良研究所 mission, as the company leads in building a global research community and robust and sustainable economic ecosystem in LEO.
AstRNAuts is a project from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) aiming to characterize distinctive molecular signatures of circulating biomarkers that are altered upon exposure to the space environment. These markers will be monitored before and after the Ax-3 mission. The project is of great scientific interest to understand how space missions affect the human body in space, as these biomarkers could be used to monitor astronauts鈥 health status and to develop point-of-care devices for diagnosis and prognosis of diseases.
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This project from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) builds on previous work in microgravity to investigate the aggregation of amyloid beta (A尾) proteins, which are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease). Researching proteins in microgravity provides an opportunity to better understand the mechanisms of A尾 protein aggregation and the formation of amyloid plaques, which could lead to insights into how to prevent or reverse formation in Alzheimer's patients. The research could also help identify potential risks for neurodegeneration for long-duration spaceflight, as microgravity can influence the normal folding and unfolding of proteins.
In collaboration with the Italian Air Force (ItAF) and Italian Space Agency (ASI), the Italian company REA will conduct an in-orbit test of the Electrical Muscle Simulation (EMSi) suit 鈥 an intra-vehicular suit that can monitor and measure astronaut body movement. The suit is made of a material with antibacterial properties and contains sensors to collect data on muscle activity from the arms, legs, and trunk during daily activities. It also incorporates compression properties to help correct the shifts in body fluid distribution seen in microgravity. This project will test the suit during Ax-3 and could be used during future space missions to improve astronaut health and well-being.
Endothelial cells are the single layer of cells that line the endothelium 鈥 the tissue that lines our blood vessels and is important for regulating blood pressure, blood flow, clotting, inflammation and structure of organs. The reactivity of the endothelium in blood vessels can tell us about the vascular health of an individual and is the basis of a non-invasive technique called flow-mediated dilation. This Endothelial Function project from the Italian Air Force will use flow-mediated dilation to assess the vascular health of astronauts before, during and after spaceflight and the results will be compared to measurements from non-orbital flight personnel. The goal of this project is to help understand how vascular health changes over the course of spaceflight.
Overview
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Italian Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Operations Center (ISOC) Services for ISS (ISOC [Ax-3]) on the private astronaut mission (PAM) Axiom-3 (Ax-3) evaluates a web-based space situational awareness (SSA) tool on the International Space Station. The investigation assesses the tool鈥檚 ability to conduct autonomous analysis of the risk of collision between a satellite and another object in orbit and compares space weather alerts with the actual experience of crew members.
The Italian company Mental Economy has developed a training protocol for optimal mental performance "for all those who employ high neural energies in highly stressful and competitive contexts" - athletes, racecar drivers, special forces military staff, and others. Mental Economy Training鈩(MET) is the technique developed to enhance "neural efficiency" (or the ability for high mental performance with low energy expenditure). The goal of this project is to investigate whether specific skills and cognitive abilities (concentration, focused attention, reactivity, stress management, memory, and others) are affected by spaceflight and how MET鈩 could be implemented for future crew.
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NUT is a project from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) aiming to shed light on the physiological adaptation mechanisms that human organisms put in place to cope with environmental conditions in space. In particular, the project aims to study the expression profile of different molecular markers before and after a space mission by discriminating the effects induced by microgravity and cosmic rays from those caused by confinement, isolation, and psychophysical stress.
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ORION is a continuation of an ongoing study from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to understand the effects of microgravity on ovarian cells and investigate the mechanisms of hormone production and modulation in space. This research aims to understand fundamental mechanisms of fertility that could translate into findings to improve the success of fertility treatments on Earth, as well as begin research to understand reproduction off Earth.
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In partnership with the Italian race car engineering and manufacturing company Dallara, this project aims to measure the shielding capacity and effects of radiation on various advanced aerospace materials for spaceflight. The materials could be used to make components of future space stations, spacecraft, and spacesuits to help shield humans and hardware from space radiation.
Cuisine in space is important not just for nutritional purposes but also as a way to improve astronauts' quality of life. In this project from Italian food company Barilla, ready-made pasta will be heated and taste-tested in microgravity as part of an effort to develop a broader range of tasty foods in space for future space travelers.
Cuisine in space is important not just for nutritional purposes but also as a way to improve astronauts' quality of life. In this project from Italian food company Barilla, crew will document their experience with food in space and complete questionnaires. The goal is to create a 鈥渦ser journey鈥 that will improve the experience of eating food in space.
The Italian company GVM is creating a telemedicine platform that could be used in the future to monitor and manage the health of astronauts before, during, and after human spaceflight missions. This ground-based study will investigate the cardiovascular physiology and health of the crew before and after the Ax3 mission and will simulate on-orbit video consultations. The team will collect and monitor data from wearable devices and a health app before and after flight. The platform is being developed to gain a thorough understanding of astronaut health and enable medical advice and treatment discussions with the crew.
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PROMETEO II from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) is a continuation of an ongoing study aimed to investigate how exposure to microgravity and space radiation affects cellular response to stress, as well as the neuroprotective effects of nanoparticles based on nanoceria. The results could help develop protective countermeasures for future spaceflight missions and build on efforts to develop therapeutic tools to treat neurodegenerative diseases on Earth.
The Smart Flight Suit 2, developed by Italian company Spacewear, is a suit for spaceflight specially designed to monitor an astronaut's physiological status, which can help keep the crew healthy in space. The suit, which will be tested by the crew during the Ax-3 mission as a technology demonstration, contains sensors that monitor the heart's beating patterns, body temperature, and movement. The goals of this project are to test the comfort and behavior of the suit's fabrics in space, validate the function of the inbuilt sensors, and validate the utility of the suit within a microgravity environment (e.g. how easy is it to don and use during spaceflight).
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a genetic editing scientific technique that can be used to increase, decrease, insert or remove genes from organisms. Exploring its application in plants could be helpful for understanding plants' stress responses in microgravity that could translate to improved agricultural practices on Earth, in space, or or other terrestrial bodies on exploration missions. In this T脺B陌TAK UZAY-sponsored project "Extreme Salt Stress and CRISPR Gene Editing Efficiency in Plants Under Microgravity" (Extremophyte CRISPR), researchers will investigate the downregulation via the CRISPR technique of three genes involved in the stress response of Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress, a member of the mustard family). The second aim will evaluate the salt stress tolerance of two plants - one salt-sensitive and one salt-tolerant - that will be germinated and grown in the International Space Station (ISS). 聽This work builds on previous microgravity investigations showing how microgravity affects the growth, movement and genetics of this plant, and could provide valuable insights into plant adaptation to extreme environments and help develop more resilient crops for agriculture.
The UYNA experiment will investigate novel medium entropy and high entropy alloys (MEAs and HEAs, respectively). These types of metal alloys are characterized by their high strength, toughness, and resistance to corrosion and are of interest for potential applications in many industries, including space, aviation, automotive, energy, and medicine. The data from this experiment will help to improve the understanding of the formation and properties of MEA/HEA alloys, which could lead to the development of new and improved materials for a variety of applications.
The microgravity effects on metal particles dynamics in fluids (gMETAL) project from T脺B陌TAK UZAY will investigate how the lack of gravity impacts the mixing of solid particles in a gas (two-phase mixture formation) within a contained environment. This mixing is important to understand how metal particles and an oxidizing gas can react in a combustion chamber for efficient combustion and maximum heat release. Applications for this research include the development of zero-carbon energy generation technologies on Earth by burning metal particles in air; or for development of propulsion systems or energy generation on Mars, for example, by reacting metal particles with CO2 collected from the Martian atmosphere.
The MESSAGE (Microgravity Associated Genetics Research Group) project from the T脺B陌TAK UZAY portfolio on Ax-3 is interested in assessing microgravity-associated changes in gene expression in human immune system T-cells collected from an astronaut. After flight, the project will use CRISPR gene editing technologies to knock out genes in T-cells found to be upregulated by space travel. The researchers will also aim to produce immune cells with the observed microgravity-associated gene changes by using an acoustic levitation device on the ground to mimic microgravity and explore the cells' changes in proliferation, survival, and stress responses at a cellular level. By better understanding the response of the immune system to the stress of microgravity, the project aims to identify potential space travelers who may be more suited to long duration spaceflight missions due to the resilience of their immune system.
Spaceflight can be a stressful experience for the human body to adapt to changes in microgravity, such as physical demands, nutritional changes, and lack of sleep. The physiological changes can be monitored by profiling the "'omics" of the body 鈥 the changes in gene expression (genomics), protein expression (proteomics) or metabolites (metabolomics). A better understanding of these changes in an individual's response to spaceflight can help to develop personalized countermeasure procedures that can optimize the safety and performance of each astronaut. This project aims to gather data to better understand omics changes seen after spaceflight and inform Turkish researchers working on gravitational physiology, aviation, and space medicine on best practices for astronaut care, as part of 罢眉谤办颈测别鈥檚 rapidly developing national space program.
Propolis extract is a natural product from bees called "bee glue" used for hive construction and maintenance, which has the potential to be characterized as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. This project is a STEM project led by 13鈥14-year-old students aiming to investigate the effect of propolis extract on bacteria in microgravity. If the experiments prove that propolis extract can exhibit anti-microbial properties in space, it could open avenues for future research on new and natural product-based cleaning agents for future spaceflight applications.
Algae have many properties that make them ideal organisms to support humans during long-duration spaceflight missions. Not only could they serve as a nutritional source included in astronaut menus, algae could also remove carbon dioxide and produce oxygen for spacecraft environmental control systems, help regulate spacecraft temperatures, recycle certain wastes, and even act as a source of fuel. The data generated from this experiment will be used to advance the development of microalgal life support systems for space missions and could impact the design of future carbon dioxide capture, oxygen conversion, wastewater treatment systems, and provide fertilizer options for other agricultural crops grown in space.
The Vokalkord experiment will focus on developing an artificial intelligence system to detect over 70 types of disease by analyzing respiratory, speaking, and cough sounds. This project further develops the software for use on Earth as a tool to identify and diagnose lung cancers, voice and vocal cord diseases, infectious diseases, and even cardiovascular and eye disease.
The ANITA-2 project will sample air from the atmosphere on the ISS and automatically analyze trace contaminants. The system can recognize and quantify 33 trace gases via infrared light and identify unknown substances for additional analyzes on the ground. This project is part of ESA's ongoing technology development efforts for safe spaceflight in low-Earth orbit and beyond.
Exposure to microgravity and immobilization can cause a loss of bone density, which can increase the risk of bone breakage and injury. In microgravity, the changes start to take place very soon after leaving Earth鈥攖he extent and timeframe of reversal of these changes upon return from space are under investigation. This ongoing ESA-led project is monitoring whether bone loss halts or continues upon re-entry after human spaceflight missions.
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This project is developing and testing an artificial intelligence (AI) powered free-flying companion, called CIMON, to support crew and help with mission efficiency during long-term missions. CIMON can fly freely through the ISS to support crew as they perform tasks and can respond to verbal commands. This technology development project is also looking at human machine interactions to build robots and other technologies that are intuitive and easy for humans to use and rely on. The work will help design technologies on Earth that will optimize performance for seamless integration into many sectors, such as manufacturing, aviation, and healthcare.
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The DNAmAge project will investigate how radiation exposure during spaceflight can affect DNA and its repair. By looking at epigenetic changes, ESA researchers will learn more about the epigenetic clock, which is a combined measure of aging in humans that takes into account a person's birthday and biological age. This project will help us understand the impact of spaceflight on aging mechanisms in the human body and provide broad applicability to the study of aging and its biological bases.
The experiment aims to determine the direct and delayed post-flight effects on neural stem cells after long-term microgravity exposure and investigate if the delayed effects are the result of genetic changes emerging during microgravity or to secreted components in the medium during the flight. Elucidating delayed effects of microgravity may contribute to the development of new protocols for microgravity exploitation in biomedicine.
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The ESA-led Surface Avatar project is focused on developing robotic assets for space exploration, building infrastructure on planets and asteroids, and optimizing processes for data connections and communications relays.It is also looking at how well an operator responds to haptic (touch) feedback while controlling the robots. The applications of this project are also useful in scenarios such as arctic exploration, search and rescue in disaster zones, and under-sea maintenance.
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Architecture is known to play a crucial role in shaping physical and social environments and have a direct impact on human physical and psychological well-being. This study aims to investigate the effects of architectural settings, as well as its properties on an astronaut鈥檚 cognitive performance, stress levels, and stress recovery rate. This activity looks to study the effects between the above-mentioned factors in isolated and confined environments on Earth and in space analog missions, which are similarly observed in the environment of a space station.
When humans enter microgravity many changes to their body take place, such as to the brain and central nervous system which has to adapt to altered sensory information arriving from the eyes, ears, and muscles. This ongoing ESA-sponsored project aims to identify biomarkers for this adaptation via use of advanced MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) brain imaging methods such as Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI). Identification of neural biomarkers related to sensorimotor adaptation after spaceflight could also lead to improved interventions for humans on Earth, for example after injury or stroke.
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Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a non-invasive imaging technique that can give information of the size and shape of the heart, function of the ventricles, blood flow, and presence of coronary artery disease markers. This ongoing ESA project aims to use CMR to create a database of the cardiovascular system of ESA astronauts, which could help determine short-term changes in shape and function of the cardiovascular system as well as allow comparisons with well-characterized head-down (-6掳) tilt bed rest (HDBR) studies, which have been broadly used as physiological analogs of spaceflight for decades.
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ISS Ham Radio conducted by crew members on 不良研究所 private astronaut missions (PAMs), connect youth, educators, and members of the public with a crew member on the International Space Station via amateur radio. Participating students learn about space, the space station, Earth observation, wireless technology, and radio science. The first-hand exposure to life in space helps inspire the next generation of explorers.
Brain organoids are small 3D aggregates of neural cells that can be used to explore how the human nervous system develops or starts to degenerate (in diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Multiple Sclerosis), and how safe and effective therapeutics might be. Using human neural cells means human-specific biochemical pathways can be uncovered or targeted, helping reduce the need for animal studies that may not replicate human neural responses or predict how well humans respond to different treatments. The Cosmic Brain Organoids project will use brain organoids derived from the stem cells of patients with the neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson's disease and primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis, to assess how microgravity affects the cells and uncover cellular pathways that could suggest novel therapeutic interventions for neurodegenerative diseases on Earth.
Following research conducted on Axiom Mission 1 and Axiom Mission 2, 不良研究所 continues to work with TRISH to gather systematic data on human physiology, biometric monitoring, cognitive and behavioral performance, genetic data and gene expression, contextual data through questionnaires, balance and space motion sickness, and spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) visual changes. This portfolio of projects will help understand how humans adapt to space, specifically in the context of commercial spaceflight participants. Results can also help inform Earth-based research into eye or movement disorders and the cognitive and emotional impacts of isolated, confined, or stressful environments.
In partnership with 不良研究所, the Cancer in LEO project from the Sanford Stem Cell Institute will study tumor organoids in microgravity with the goal to identify early warning signs of cancer for prediction and prevention of the disease. This project is part of the expanded ISSCOR collaboration between the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, JM Foundation, and 不良研究所, which aims to use microgravity to further understand stem cells, cancer, and aging-related effects in space to develop better prediction of disease and therapeutics for patients on Earth.
The 聽Space Hematopoietic Stem Cell Aging (SASHA) project on Ax-3 is a project from the Sanford Stem Cell Institute/UC San Diego in partnership with 不良研究所. The project investigates the activity of RNA-editing enzymes (including ADAR1, also being investigated in the Cancer in LEO project) that are involved in mutations that may be related to the development of immune dysfunction-related disease states and cancer. Understanding how the gene editing enzymes are affected by microgravity in hematopoietic cells (blood stem cells) could give insight into how leukemias and other cancers develop on Earth. This project is part of the expanded Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Reseach (ISSCOR) collaboration between the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, JM Foundation, and 不良研究所, which aims to use microgravity to further understand stem cells, cancer, and aging-related effects in space in order to develop better prediction of disease and therapeutics for patients on Earth. 聽
In this project, the activity of DNA and RNA-editing enzymes involved in mutations that may be related to development of immune dysfunction-related disease states and cancer will be evaluated by analyzing blood samples taken from the crew before, during, and after spaceflight. This will help better understand changes in editing activity of these enzymes in blood stem cells due to spaceflight. This project is part of the expanded Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Reseach (ISSCOR) collaboration between the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, JM Foundation, and 不良研究所.
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