Axiom Space, founded in Houston in 2016 by former NASA ISS program manager Michael Suffredini and entrepreneur Kam Ghaffarian, is the leading commercial human-spaceflight company, built around three lines of business: private astronaut missions to the ISS, the Axiom Station commercial space station, and next-generation spacesuits.
Latest update Oct 19, 2026
01
It flew Ax-1, the first all-private crewed mission to the ISS, in April 2022, and has since flown four missions carrying 16 astronauts - most recently Ax-4 (June-July 2025), which returned India, Poland, and Hungary to human spaceflight; NASA has ordered a fifth mission (Ax-5, NET January 2027) whose crew remains unannounced as of August 2026. In 2020 NASA awarded Axiom a $140 million contract to attach the first commercial module to the ISS, and in September 2022 a $228.5 million task order (under a contract worth up to $1.26 billion) to build the Artemis moonwalking spacesuit, the AxEMU, covering four suits. NASA's early-2026 Artemis restructuring turned Artemis III into a non-landing rendezvous test flight and pushed the first crewed lunar landing to Artemis IV (targeted early 2028) - the mission the AxEMU suits are now built for; Axiom became NASA's sole suit developer after Collins Aerospace was descoped in 2024, and while a NASA OIG report in April 2026 warned the suit could still slip toward 2031, Axiom is running a roughly yearlong qualification-testing campaign toward a 2027 flight demonstration. The company hit severe financial turbulence in late 2024 - roughly 100 layoffs, voluntary 20% pay cuts, and late payments to contractors including SpaceX - followed by rapid CEO churn (Suffredini out August 2024, Ghaffarian interim, Tejpaul Bhatia April-October 2025, then NASA-veteran astrophysicist Jonathan Cirtain). In December 2024 it re-sequenced station assembly to launch a Payload Power Thermal Module first; that target has since slipped from NET 2027 to early 2028, with a free-flying station still expected to form as early as 2028. Finances have since stabilized: a $100M round at a ~$2B valuation (March 2025), $100M from Hungary's 4iG (December 2025), and an oversubscribed $525M+ round closed June 2026 with Qatar Investment Authority, Type One Ventures, and MUFG Bank. With ~700 employees, Axiom launched its first two orbital data center nodes in January 2026, plans a third node aboard the ISS with Spacebilt in 2027, is evaluating a role for that network in the Pentagon's proposed Golden Dome missile-defense architecture, and is competing for NASA's Commercial LEO Destinations Phase 2 award - whose original full-and-open competition structure NASA reaffirmed in June 2026 after briefly floating a government-owned core-module alternative in March. NASA released the final CLDC request for proposals on October 9, 2026. Proposals are due December 8, 2026, and release 26-086 expects contract awards in spring 2027. An Axiom spokesperson told Ars the team is reviewing the request. In early September 2026 NASA also directed Axiom to slim AxEMU into a Sortie Suit variant so a 2028 Artemis IV landing stays in reach.
nasa.govUpdated Oct 17, 2026
Analysis · 5 min read · Aug 11, 2026The long view on Axiom Space: strategy, technology and what to watch02
2026
TargetNext stated ARC milestone after the Oct. 6, 2026 ground PQC demo; no calendar window published
Dec 8, 2026
Jan 2027
Axiom's fifth NASA-approved private astronaut mission, ordered January 30, 2026, will launch from Kennedy Space Center for up to 14 days docked to the ISS, with Voyager Technologies handling payload integration. The crew - expected to include more national-government astronauts - had still not been announced as of September 12, 2026; Wikipedia lists an unofficial UK-heavy roster that Axiom and NASA have not confirmed.
Spring 2027
NASA released the draft CLD Phase 2 solicitation on July 6, 2026 ($1-1.5B in funding FY2026-2031, minimum two awards, crewed flight test required by 2029) and closed the industry feedback window on July 27. The program survived a detour: NASA's March 2026 'Ignition' realignment floated buying a government-owned core module for commercial add-ons to dock with instead of certifying standalone free-flyers, before industry pushback (including from the Commercial Space Federation) led NASA to reverse course in early June 2026 and confirm the original full-and-open, firm-fixed-price competition. NASA posted a CLDC presolicitation on September 4, 2026 saying the final RFP is now anticipated at the end of September 2026 (slipped from late August), with offers due 60 days after release and contract award still targeted for spring 2027. Winning is pivotal to Axiom Station's anchor-customer economics against Vast, Starlab, and Blue Origin.
Mid-2027
NASA directed Axiom this week to develop a lighter Sortie Suit variant of AxEMU so astronauts can walk on the Moon as early as 2028, cutting mass and complexity and simplifying interfaces with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers. Artemis program manager Jeremy Parsons ordered the change after the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel said NASA leadership is meeting Axiom six days a week and shortening certification-duration requirements; the original AxEMU spec, which NASA's inspector general called over-burdensome, had driven the design over its mass budget. Axiom still has a four-suit, $228.5M task order for Artemis IV (the first crewed landing after Artemis III became a non-landing rendezvous test). The next watch item is whether the slimmed suit can complete qualification in time for a 2027 ISS or Artemis III demo and a 2028 landing, versus the Inspector General's April 2026 warning that historical testing averages could still push the suit toward 2031.
2027
Axiom and Spacebilt, with Skyloom providing an SDA Tranche 1-compatible optical communications terminal and Phison Electronics and Microchip Technology supplying storage and compute hardware, plan to add a third Orbital Data Center node aboard the ISS itself in 2027 - alongside the two nodes already flying on Kepler's constellation - extending Axiom's space-based cloud-computing and AI/ML network, which the company is also positioning for potential use in the Pentagon's proposed Golden Dome missile-defense architecture. Reverified September 12, 2026: Axiom's newsroom has no later ODC-node date or hardware update.
Early 2028
The Payload Power Thermal Module - carrying power, thermal systems, and eight science racks - will berth to an ISS cargo port before later detaching to anchor the free-flying station. The primary structure is in fabrication at Thales Alenia Space in Turin (Redwire was awarded a September 2025 contract for its roll-out solar arrays), with final integration in Houston; the target has slipped from NET 2027 to early 2028.
As early as 2028
Hab-1, with four crew quarters and initial research and manufacturing capability, launches within months of PPTM; the two modules mate in an independent orbit to form a free-flying station, ahead of ISS retirement around 2030. Reverified September 12, 2026: Axiom's station page still lists PPTM then Hab-1 as the free-flyer pair, and no later launch date has been published.
03
NASA Johnson Space Center posted the final Commercial LEO Destination Contract RFP (80JSC027R0004) on Oct. 9, with proposals due Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. Central. The solicitation supersedes the draft RFP and seeks firms to design, build, certify and operate commercial LEO destinations. Axiom, Voyager's Starlab and Vast each said they will compete; NASA told Ars it plans to select two or more contractors, with a decision expected in April.
On Oct. 6, 2026 in Antalya, Axiom Space said two Axiom Resilient Compute nodes are operating on Kepler Communications' optical relay constellation, with ARC-to-ARC and ARC-to-ground links confirmed. The company also completed a ground demonstration migrating a post-quantum-encrypted workload; an on-orbit PQC demonstration is the next milestone. ARC 1 and ARC 2 use 2.5 Gbps optical links compatible with SDA Tranche 1 standards and were developed with Texas Space Commission grant funds. Kepler is not in the Atlas catalog.
Axiom Space and the European Space Agency signed a memorandum of understanding at ESA headquarters in Paris on September 10, 2026. The partners will explore astronaut missions to the ISS and Axiom Station, European cargo return, a possible European crew vehicle, and AxEMU EVA and lunar training at the European Astronaut Centre. The MoU is exploratory and does not announce a funded flight.
NASA directed Axiom Space this week to develop a lighter Sortie Suit variant of the AxEMU lunar spacesuit so astronauts can walk on the Moon as early as 2028, Ars Technica reported. Artemis program manager Jeremy Parsons ordered the change to cut mass and complexity and simplify interfaces with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers after the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel said NASA leadership is meeting Axiom six days a week and shortening certification-duration requirements. The original AxEMU spec, which NASA's inspector general called over-burdensome, had driven the design over its mass budget and left little schedule margin for Artemis IV.
Axiom Space announced on August 4 the appointment of Dr. Renato Krpoun, former head of the Swiss Space Office and past chair of the European Space Agency Council at delegate level, as Chief of International Operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa, leading its new Switzerland subsidiary based in Lucerne. Krpoun will oversee market engagement, regulatory compliance, and relationships with the European Space Agency, government customers, and commercial partners as Axiom expands its European footprint.
Axiom Space said on July 15 it appointed Zach Gitomer as chief financial officer and Erick Wegerer as chief information officer, filling out its executive team as it develops the Axiom Station commercial space station, flies private astronaut missions and builds Artemis moonwalking spacesuits. Gitomer, who has advised on roughly 100 financing and M&A transactions worth nearly $100 billion, oversees finance and capital markets, while Wegerer - previously CIO at Boeing subsidiary Insitu - leads information systems and cybersecurity. The hires continue a stabilization drive following heavy 2024–2025 leadership churn and cash strains, after Axiom closed an oversubscribed $525M-plus round in June.
04
Commercial successor to the ISS, assembled in stages: a Payload Power Thermal Module (PPTM) berths to the ISS first (early 2028), then detaches to join the Hab-1 habitat as a free-flying station within months, later expanded with an airlock, Hab-2, and a Research & Manufacturing Facility with a windowed Earth observatory. Primary structures are in fabrication at Thales Alenia Space, with final assembly at Axiom's Houston Spaceport facility.
Next-generation extravehicular mobility unit evolved from NASA's xEMU design, built for the Artemis IV crewed lunar landing (targeted early 2028) after NASA's early-2026 Artemis restructuring turned Artemis III into a non-landing rendezvous and docking test flight - supporting at least two-hour EVAs at the lunar south pole and in permanently shadowed regions - with redundant life support, improved mobility joints, and broad crew sizing. Prada co-developed the outer layer (2024) and the liquid cooling and ventilation inner garment (unveiled June 2026).
End-to-end crewed missions to the ISS on SpaceX Crew Dragon - crew selection, training, mission management, and research integration - sold to individuals and, increasingly, national governments. Four missions flown (Ax-1 April 2022, Ax-2 May 2023, Ax-3 January 2024, Ax-4 June 2025) carrying 16 astronauts, including the first government astronauts from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, Poland, and Hungary in decades.
Space-based cloud computing nodes providing secure data storage, processing, and AI/ML directly to satellites and spacecraft on orbit, independent of ground infrastructure. The first two nodes launched January 11, 2026 aboard Kepler Communications' optical relay constellation, with 2.5 Gbps SDA-compatible optical links, options for additional Kepler payloads, and a roadmap from kilowatts toward megawatts of on-orbit compute. A third node (AxODC Node ISS), developed with Spacebilt and supported by Skyloom, Phison, and Microchip, is planned aboard the ISS itself in 2027, and Axiom is evaluating a role for the network in the Pentagon's proposed Golden Dome missile-defense architecture.
05
2023, most recent public figure; no later revenue disclosure as of Sept 12, 2026
(under contract worth up to $1.26B) - now being slimmed into a Sortie Suit variant for the Artemis IV lunar landing after NASA's 2026 mission renumbering. No later task-order value disclosed as of Sept 12, 2026
(oversubscribed, closed Jun 2026); no later round disclosed as of Sep 10, 2026
Mar 2025 round; no new valuation disclosed as of Sept 12, 2026, including after the June 2026 $525M+ close
as of Aug 2023, most recent public figure; no later contract-book total disclosed as of Sept 12, 2026
(April 2026, per CEO Jonathan Cirtain); first pressure-garment thermal-vacuum test complete; 1,300+ products delivered toward critical design review
(launched Jan 11, 2026); a third node planned aboard the ISS with Spacebilt in 2027
2 nodes operating with ARC-to-ARC and ARC-to-ground links confirmed Oct. 6, 2026; PQC workload migration demonstrated on the ground only
Same two Kepler-hosted nodes on matching launch facts: the ODC page dates the first two orbital data-center nodes to Jan. 11, 2026 on Kepler's first optical-relay tranche; the Oct. 6 ARC release says ARC 1 and ARC 2 launched earlier this year on that Kepler optical relay network with 2.5 Gbps SDA Tranche 1 links. Axiom did not print a sentence that equates the product names.
06
Operating status
CLDC final RFP posted; station module still aimed at a 2028 launch
NASA release 26-086, dated Oct. 9, 2026, says the final CLDC request went out that Friday. Proposals are due Dec. 8, and awards are expected in spring 2027. The JSC CLDC table lists Final RFP actual 10/09/2026 and Contract Award planned Spring 2027 with a blank actual. An Axiom spokesperson told Ars the team is reviewing the request. The April decision date in that Ars report is not on the NASA release or the JSC table. The Oct. 5 Axiom and Redwire release says the first module is in final assembly at Thales Alenia Space in Turin for a 2028 launch, and the second module is planned less than a year later as a four-crew free-flyer. The station page still says flight hardware is beginning to come together. That 2028 wording does not move the unhashed early-2028 PPTM step. Ax-5 still has no named crew. The Oct. 6 ARC release still gives the on-orbit PQC demonstration no calendar window.
Sells seats on Crew Dragon missions to the ISS - estimated at roughly $55M per seat - primarily to national governments (Saudi Arabia, Italy, Turkey, India, Poland, Hungary), with training, integration, and mission operations included. Fifth NASA-approved mission (Ax-5) targeted NET January 2027; crew not yet announced as of September 12, 2026.
NASA spacesuit contracts (xEVAS)
Firm-fixed-price task orders under NASA's xEVAS IDIQ contract, starting with the $228.5M order for 4 Artemis lunar suits (Sept 2022) plus ISS microgravity suit work; NASA rents rather than owns the suits, leaving Axiom the servicing and upgrade business. Axiom became sole provider after Collins Aerospace was descoped in 2024. NASA's 2026 Artemis restructuring redesignated the crewed landing mission as Artemis IV (targeted early 2028), with Artemis III now a non-landing rendezvous test flight in 2027.
NASA commercial ISS module / station development
A $140M NASA contract (2020) to attach the first commercial module to the ISS, with future revenue planned from leasing Axiom Station capacity to space agencies, researchers, and manufacturers after the ISS retires. Axiom is competing for NASA's CLD Phase 2 award ($1-1.5B pool, FY2026-2031); NASA reaffirmed the program's original full-and-open competition structure in June 2026 after briefly floating a government-owned core-module alternative. A September 4, 2026 CLDC presolicitation slipped the final RFP from late August to the end of September 2026, with proposals due 60 days later and award still targeted spring 2027.
Space-based cloud computing, storage, and AI/ML processing sold to satellite operators, national-security, and international customers; first two ODC nodes launched January 2026 on Kepler's optical relay network, with a third node (AxODC Node ISS) planned aboard the ISS with Spacebilt in 2027 and evaluation underway for a role in the Pentagon's proposed Golden Dome missile-defense architecture. Hungary's 4iG invested $100M partly to secure a role in the ODC program.
07
How past announced dates turned out.
3/5announced dates hit on time
NASA CLDC Phase 2 final RFP posting
Target September 2026 planned on NASA JSC table; actual date still blank after 21 Sept 2026 Q&A. Proposals due 60 days after release (table: November 2026). Award still Spring 2027. · Resolved Oct 9, 2026
NASA release 26-086, dated Oct. 9, 2026, and the JSC CLDC table list the final RFP actual date as 10/09/2026. Proposals are due Dec. 8, 2026. The table still plans Contract Award for Spring 2027 with a blank actual. Axiom told Ars it is reviewing the request.
Launch of first Axiom Station module (PPTM) to the ISS
Target NET 2027 · Resolved Feb 19, 2026
Axiom's 'no earlier than 2027' PPTM launch target slipped to early 2028, per VP of Human Spaceflight Peggy Whitson speaking at the AIAA SciTech Forum; the module remains in fabrication at Thales Alenia Space with the second module (Hab-1) expected to follow within months.
Launch first two orbital data center nodes by year-end 2025
Target Late 2025 · Resolved Jan 11, 2026
Announced April 7, 2025 for launch by year-end 2025, ODC Nodes 1 and 2 reached orbit on January 11, 2026 - eleven days past the target - aboard Kepler Communications' first tranche of ten optical relay satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg.
Fly Ax-4 private astronaut mission to the ISS
Target Spring 2025 · Resolved Jun 25, 2025
Ax-4 launched June 25, 2025 - days past the 'no earlier than spring 2025' window NASA set in August 2024, after short delays for a Falcon 9 propellant leak and an ISS Zvezda-module leak review - and completed a successful 20-day mission carrying India's, Poland's, and Hungary's first government astronauts in over 40 years, splashing down July 15, 2025.
Install first habitat module (Hab-1) on the ISS
Target Late 2026 · Resolved Dec 18, 2024
Axiom's plan to attach its Hab-1 habitat to the ISS in late 2026 (itself a slip from an original 2024 target) was superseded on December 18, 2024, when Axiom and NASA re-sequenced assembly: a Payload Power Thermal Module now launches first, no earlier than 2027, with Hab-1 following NET 2028.
08
2026
NASA releases the final CLDC request
On Oct. 9, 2026 NASA release 26-086 said the agency had released the final commercial low-Earth-orbit destination request for proposals. Proposals are due Dec. 8, 2026, and contract awards are expected in spring 2027. The JSC CLDC table records the same actual release date and leaves the award actual blank at Spring 2027. An Axiom spokesperson told Ars the team is reviewing the request.
NASA posts the final commercial station RFP
On 9 October 2026 Ars reported that NASA released the final commercial low-Earth-orbit destination request, with responses due 8 December. Ars said NASA plans to select two or more contractors in this phase and intends a final decision in April. An Axiom spokesperson told Ars the team is actively reviewing the request.
Redwire follow-on ROSA contract for second station module
On October 5, 2026 Redwire announced a follow-on contract to deliver two Roll-Out Solar Array wings for Axiom Station's second module, after the September 2025 PPTM arrays. The joint release says the first module is in final assembly at Thales Alenia Space in Turin for a 2028 launch, and the second module is preparing for final assembly and is planned to launch less than a year later, then loiter until docking. No contract value was disclosed. Axiom's station page still describes first-module hardware as beginning to come together.
Confirms two ARC nodes live with Kepler optical links
On Oct. 6, 2026 in Antalya, Axiom Space said two Axiom Resilient Compute nodes are operating on Kepler Communications' optical relay constellation, with ARC-to-ARC and ARC-to-ground communications confirmed. The company completed a ground demonstration migrating a post-quantum-encrypted workload; an on-orbit PQC demonstration is the next milestone. ARC 1 and ARC 2 use 2.5 Gbps optical links compatible with SDA Tranche 1 standards and were developed with Texas Space Commission grant funds.
Signs MoU with ESA on missions, cargo, and EVA training
On September 10, 2026 Axiom Space and the European Space Agency signed a memorandum of understanding at ESA headquarters in Paris. The partners will explore astronaut missions to the ISS and Axiom Station, European cargo return, a possible European crew vehicle, and AxEMU EVA and lunar training at the European Astronaut Centre. The MoU is exploratory and does not announce a funded flight.
NASA slips CLDC Phase 2 RFP to end of September
NASA Johnson Space Center posted a Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination Contract (CLDC) presolicitation on September 4, 2026, saying the final Phase 2 RFP is now anticipated at the end of September 2026 with offers due 60 days after release. That slips the late-August 2026 final-RFP date NASA had signaled after the July draft solicitation, while the spring 2027 award target is unchanged. Axiom remains one of the leading competitors against Vast, Starlab, and Blue Origin.
Names EMEA operations chief for new Swiss subsidiary
On August 4, 2026, Axiom names Dr. Renato Krpoun, former head of the Swiss Space Office and past chair of the European Space Agency Council at delegate level, as Chief of International Operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa, to lead its new Switzerland subsidiary based in Lucerne. He will oversee market engagement, regulatory compliance, and relationships with ESA, government customers, and commercial partners as Axiom expands its European footprint.
Opens Japan subsidiary to chase Asia-Pacific demand
Axiom opens a wholly owned Tokyo subsidiary, Axiom Space Japan, on July 1, 2026, first announced in May. Veteran JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, Axiom's chief technology officer since 2024, leads the new entity, which is tasked with engaging Japanese government agencies, research institutions, and industrial partners on hardware development, microgravity research, and orbital compute as Axiom's gateway into the Asia-Pacific region.
2026
Builds out executive team with new CFO and CIO
On July 15, 2026, Axiom names Zach Gitomer - a finance veteran who has advised on roughly 100 transactions worth nearly $100B - as chief financial officer, and Erick Wegerer, previously CIO at Boeing subsidiary Insitu, as chief information officer overseeing information systems and cybersecurity. The hires round out Axiom's leadership as it develops Axiom Station, flies private astronaut missions, and builds Artemis spacesuits, continuing a stabilization drive after 2024–2025 leadership churn and its oversubscribed $525M-plus June 2026 raise.
$525M+ oversubscribed financing closed
Axiom closes an oversubscribed round at more than $525 million on June 4, 2026 - a $350 million first close in February led by Type One Ventures and Qatar Investment Authority, extended by $175 million with Japan's MUFG Bank joining. Later in June the company redomiciles from Delaware to Texas.
First two orbital data center nodes reach orbit
Axiom's ODC Nodes 1 and 2 launch January 11, 2026 aboard Kepler Communications' first tranche of ten optical relay satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9, giving Axiom operating space-based cloud computing hardware with 2.5 Gbps optical links.
2025
Signs MOU with Resonac for space-based semiconductor manufacturing
At the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney on October 1, 2025, Axiom signs a memorandum of understanding with Japanese materials firm Resonac to explore research and manufacturing of high-performance semiconductor materials using the ISS, Axiom's orbital platforms, and the future Axiom Station - an early, pre-revenue step into in-space manufacturing.
Redwire to supply roll-out solar arrays for first station module
Redwire is awarded a contract in late September 2025 to provide roll-out solar arrays for the Payload Power Thermal Module, Axiom Station's first module, adding a flight-proven power-generation subsystem as the module heads toward integration.
Announces third orbital data center node aboard the ISS with Spacebilt
On September 16, 2025, Axiom and Spacebilt announce plans to add a third Orbital Data Center node (AxODC Node ISS) aboard the International Space Station itself in 2027, alongside the two nodes already planned for Kepler Communications' constellation, with Skyloom supplying an SDA Tranche 1-compatible optical communications terminal and Phison Electronics and Microchip Technology supplying storage and compute hardware.
Jonathan Cirtain named CEO after leadership churn
Axiom appoints president Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, an astrophysicist and NASA Marshall veteran, as CEO on October 15, 2025 - replacing Tejpaul Bhatia less than six months after Bhatia took the job in April 2025, the company's third CEO that year.
Ax-4 returns India, Poland, and Hungary to human spaceflight
Ax-4 launches June 25, 2025 on SpaceX's new Crew Dragon Grace, commanded by Peggy Whitson with government-sponsored astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary - each nation's first spaceflight in over 40 years. The crew splashes down July 15 after 20 days.
2024
Station assembly plan re-sequenced around PPTM
On December 18, 2024, Axiom and NASA announce a revised assembly order: a Payload Power Thermal Module (PPTM) will launch to the ISS first instead of the Hab-1 habitat, allowing Axiom Station to become a free-flying platform as early as 2028 - about two years sooner than the prior plan.
Cash crunch, layoffs, and CEO departure
Forbes reports in September 2024 that Axiom is struggling to make payroll, paying contractors including SpaceX late, laying off roughly 100 employees, and asking staff to take voluntary 20% pay cuts. CEO Mike Suffredini steps down in August 2024; co-founder Kam Ghaffarian becomes interim CEO.
Ax-3: first all-European commercial ISS mission
Ax-3 launches January 18, 2024 with astronauts from Italy, Turkey, and Sweden (for ESA) on a 21-day mission, cementing Axiom's model of selling national astronaut flights to governments.
2023
Ax-2 flies and $350M Series C closes
Ax-2, commanded by Peggy Whitson, carries the first Saudi astronauts to the ISS in May 2023. In August, Axiom closes a $350 million Series C anchored by Aljazira Capital and Boryung, lifting total funding past $505 million with more than $2.2 billion in customer contracts.
2022
NASA task order for Artemis moonwalking spacesuits
NASA awards Axiom a $228.5 million task order in September 2022 - the first under its xEVAS spacesuit contract worth up to $1.26 billion to Axiom - to build the AxEMU suits astronauts will wear on the first Artemis lunar landing.
Ax-1: first all-private crewed mission to the ISS
Axiom Mission 1 launches April 8, 2022 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, carrying commander Michael López-Alegría and three private astronauts for a 17-day mission - the first fully private crewed flight to the ISS.
2020
2016
09
$1.2Bdisclosed across 5 rounds with a stated amount
Cumulative disclosed raise · dated rounds
Series B
Feb 2021
C5 Capital (lead), TQS Advisors, Declaration Partners, Moelis Dynasty Investments, others
Series C
Aug 2023
Aljazira Capital and Boryung (co-anchors); total raised passed $505M
Venture round
Mar 2025
1789 Capital and Type One Ventures (co-leads) - valuation down from $2.6B in 2023
Strategic investment
Dec 2025
4iG Space and Defence (Hungary) - $30M by Dec 31, 2025 and $70M by Mar 31, 2026, becoming an anchor investor
Growth financing (equity + debt)
Jun 2026
Type One Ventures and Qatar Investment Authority (co-leads), MUFG Bank, 1789 Capital, 4iG, LuminArx Capital, Kam Ghaffarian ($350M first close Feb 12, 2026; $175M extension closed Jun 4, 2026)
