Axiom Space's private Ax-1 crew will ride a SpaceX Dragon capsule to the International Space Station on April 8, 2022. They are (from left): pilot Larry Connor; Mark Pathy, mission specialist; Michael López-Alegría , commander; and Eytan Stibbe, mission specialist.

Axiom Space's private Ax-1 crew will ride a SpaceX Dragon capsule to the International Space Station on April 8, 2022. They are (from left): pilot Larry Connor; Mark Pathy, mission specialist; Michael López-Alegría , commander; and Eytan Stibbe, mission specialist. (Image credit: Axiom Space)

The head of the Rakia Mission is the director-general of the Ramon Foundation. He wrote an article for Space.com.

The upcoming Ax-1 mission is perhaps the beginning of a new era in human spaceflight, not because of the identity of the private astronauts, but because of the environment.

About 600 people have achieved their dreams of reaching space. The number is poised to rise dramatically as human spaceflight becomes commercially viable, and some believe that over 200 private individuals will reach the final frontier in the next decade.

The first space tourists.

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Ax-1 astronaut Eytan Stibbe (left) and Ramon Foundation director-general Ran Live stand near the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule that will launch the Ax-1 mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A on April 8, 2022.

Ax-1 astronaut Eytan Stibbe (left) and Ramon Foundation director-general Ran Livne stand near the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule that will launch the Ax-1 mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A on April 8, 2022. (Image credit: Spacex, Eytan Stibe & Ran Livne)

The real revolution will not be in the number of individuals that reach space, but in the future infrastructure that will allow them to live and work there.

Three companies are flying astronauts into low Earth orbit. Blue Origin and other companies are planning to build private space stations in the near future. Private individuals may need the new stations to use different air and water purification systems, as well as more convenient living infrastructure. New life support systems will be developed because of this need.

The business model of these private space stations is more than just selling space stations. Competition will lead to aggressive marketing efforts that will bring more potential customers into the global space industry. Advanced scientific infrastructure and high-level fast service will be required by those customers.

The benefits of this upcoming era of commercialization are mind-blowing. Only a small number of Israeli startups develop products. Israel leads the world in startup and scientific papers per capita and has a strong and accomplished space program. Israeli startups have not considered space as an option. Commercial platforms open new possibilities for Israeli space because our nation is not part of the International Space Station partnership.

The seeds of change are here. Israel is participating in the first all-private crewed mission to the International Space Station. The 10-day-long Ax-1 is scheduled to launch on Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Ramon Foundation is a private nonprofit organization that has the support of the Israeli government. Eytan will become the second Israeli in space when he joins the four other crew members. Ilan Ramon was one of the seven astronauts who died in the Columbia tragedy. The Ramon Foundation is named after him.

Rakia offered Israeli companies the chance to join the mission and send experiments to the International Space Station, and the response was enthusiastic. Over 1,500 startup and research institute took part in various activities. Rakia allowed 35 of them to conduct experiments on the International Space Station. The Israeli presence on the ISS is being increased by 3,000% by these groups. Most of the experiments were designed by accomplished startups, hospitals and professors and will lead to hundreds of scientific articles.

Imagine the future of science off Earth when private space stations come online.

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