Axiom Plans A New Private-Sector Outpost in Space

A seed-funded company named Axiom wants to build a private-sector outpost in orbit by launching a new module for the International Space Station, according to an article on Space News. Once on the station, Axiom Space would use it for commercial purposes, ranging from research to tourism. [Former space station manager] Suffredini said that it would also be available for use by NASA when the company is not using it, helping the process of transitioning research done on the International Space Station to future private stations. Research hardware elsewhere in the station could eventually be moved to this module to allow its continued use after the station's retirement.
Slashdot reader MarkWhittington shares an article from Blasting News: In the meantime, Nanoracks, a company that is already handling some of the logistics for the ISS, is proposing a commercial airlock for the ISS. The development of commercial space stations, as well as commercial spacecraft such as the SpaceX Dragon and the Boeing Starliner, constitutes NASA's long-term strategy of handing off low-Earth orbit to the private sector while it concentrates on deep space exploration.

Am I the only one?

[lionchild]

Am I the only one waiting to hear that Axiom is backed by Buy-N-Large? ;-)

In space

[rossdee]

a privater sector outpost in space could have a use as a tax haven

Re:

[Opportunist]

Oh yeah, that's what this economy really needs, another way for people to evade taxes.

Re:

[Opportunist]

Really? We have a lack of money on the supply side?

The full warehouses that rival those of 1929 could have fooled me.

Re:

[ledow]

One of the experiments JUST about to be performed and analysed - what happens with fire in zero gravity.

Literally never tested properly before and we're having trouble predicting how it would operate and whether the fire equipment would even operate properly on a zero-gravity fire.

The fact is that there's still a ton of shit we DON'T know about living in space. "Muscle degradation" - easy to say, everyone knows it happens in space - but how much, to what extent, affecting who, long-term damage, etc. is sti

Re: An outpost!

[hackwrench]

You left out the most important issue about muscle wastage: what can be done to prevent it happening. That can help not only for space colonies but for diseases as well. Though I suppose you might as well call the space muscle wastage a congenital disease. Keep sending astronauts to space and examining their DNA and comparing the degrees of muscle wastage and we should get a lock on what causes it.

In other news

[Anonymous Coward]

The PTMC reports that rumors of viral infections in the computer systems of the Lunar Mining Base are exaggerated and that there are surely no infernal demons on the Phobos Colony.

Whittington is such a waste.

[WindBourne]

The development of commercial space stations, as well as commercial spacecraft such as the SpaceX Dragon and the Boeing Starliner, constitutes NASA’s long-term strategy of handing off low-Earth orbit to the private sector while it concentrates on deep space exploration. The policy was first instituted by President George W. Bush and confirmed and doubled down on by President Barack Obama.

Whittington is such a political hack. W and his admin NEVER wanted private space to replace NASA's launch systems. Far from it. Because Constellation was not properly funded by the GOP, it was decided to get Private space to HELP with ISS. So COTS was developed as a side show. That is why the GOP stopped human launch development so that it would NOT compete against their jobs programs.
It was under O that private space was pushed for a replacement, which is why the GOP, and ppl like Whittington, fight agai

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Whittington, it is really too bad that you are such a bad writer and a political hack that you put your politics over facts.

As a rule of thumb you can disregard anyone mentioning "W" and "GOP" together as an idiot. You are not the exception.

Re:

[WindBourne]

and yet, your fuehrer is going to lose at the next election. After all, he is as inept as you are spineless. When you can stand up and show a spine, then lets talk.

Commercial airlock

[Teun]

I'm intrigued by this commercial airlock, does it mean it cost money to build or does it simply have a credit card slot to pay for entrance?

Re:

[murdocj]

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that... do you have another credit card?"

Re: Commercial airlock

[hackwrench]

It means that only private companies' and not governments' vehicles will dock with it.