Which private company operated Axiom Mission 1 to the ISS?

Axiom Space operated Axiom Mission 1, the first fully private crewed mission to the International Space Station. The mission, also called Ax-1, launched on April 8, 2022, carrying four people aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour.

Axiom Space organized the mission, selected and trained the crew, managed mission operations, and provided the commercial service. Michael López-Alegría, an experienced former NASA astronaut employed by Axiom, commanded the flight. The other crew members were Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe, who flew as private astronauts.

SpaceX supplied the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Crew Dragon spacecraft, while NASA and its ISS partners approved the visit and coordinated station operations. Ax-1 docked with the ISS on April 9 and returned to Earth on April 25 after 17 days in orbit. The mission conducted more than 25 research experiments and helped establish Axiom’s later private ISS flights.