Rome, Dec 14 (Agency) Italy will participate in the project of US company Axiom Space to build a commercial space station by providing habitation modules, the official Chigi Palace said Wednesday. “A segment of the new station will be built from habitation modules manufactured by Thales Alenia Space Italia, a world leader in these technologies,” the statement read. Italy will also participate in Axiom Space’s Ax-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for January 10, 2024, the statement said.
Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei will pilot the mission and spend 14 days aboard the space station, conducting various scientific experiments. NASA has entrusted Axiom Space with the construction and management of the commercial space station, despite the fact that the ISS is expected to end its operational life by 2030, the statement said. “At first, it will be added to the ISS, but it should then separate and operate autonomously, providing services to NASA in orbit and supporting commercial private activities in low orbit,” the statement said. Axiom Space is currently building the world’s first commercial space station. According to the company’s website, Thales Alenia Space has already begun constructing the primary structures of Axiom Station’s first module. Axiom Space is planning to launch the first section of the station into low-Earth orbit in 2026.