Teasing to a possible reality inspired by Hollywood movies – think about Elysium – the extraordinary project revealed by Axiom Space will make you daydream about space travel in no time. The Houston-based company is currently building the world’s first commercial space station; and better yet, they’ve just announced that private astronaut expeditions are almost here.
The award-winning French designer Philippe Starck was invited to imagine the interiors for the habitation module, that would allow a select few to get a glimpse of the Sci-Fi universe. The company’s space tourism program is going to offer 10-day space expeditions to wealthy individuals who dream about experiencing the International Space Station (ISS) first hand – before you get too excited, you should know it will cost $55 million per ticket.
The Axiom Space Station will eventually replace the ISS, which is scheduled to retire in 2024. This space odyssey includes transportation to and from the ISS and a 15-week training experience that will meet current spaceflight standards. The temporary astronauts will live in the quarters, dining area and galley, that were designed in partnership with Philippe Starck.
The project’s goal was to make space more accessible, although I can’t imagine a lot of people who can afford splashing that kind of money on tickets for the ultimate space journey. Still, it has our full and undivided attention – we know it’s possible right now. That’s a start. We’ll just have to wait a bit more for the affordable section of the program.
