--- title: "Factory Photos Show Fully Private Space Station Under Construction" description: "Space startup Axiom Space is making significant progress on its all-private space station dubbed Axiom Station, which it claims will be the next ISS." date: "2023-02-16" modified: "2023-02-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/photos-fully-private-space-station-construction" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "axiom space" - "international space station" - "space station" - "the digest" --- # Factory Photos Show Fully Private Space Station Under Construction ![Space startup Axiom Space is making significant progress on its all-private space station dubbed Axiom Station, which it claims will be the next ISS.]() *\Image: Axiom Space\* ## Building a Station Space startup Axiom Space is making significant progress on its all-private space station dubbed Axiom Station, which it [claims]() will be "the successor to the International Space Station." Images shared by former NASA astronaut Micahel López-Alegría, who was part of the startup's [first all-private astronaut mission to the ISS]() last April, show massive segments of the Axiom Station being fabricated at a factory in Italy. The images show huge metal rings and cylindrical segments that appear to be part of a docking port. https://twitter.com/CommanderMLA/status/1625862365106372614?s=20 ## Putting It All Together According to Axiom Space's [website](), the "construction of the world’s first commercial space station is underway," and engineers at the factory in Italy have already begun "welding and machining activities for the primary structures of Axiom Station's first module." The module dubbed Hab One will eventually be put together in Houston, Texas, and is scheduled to launch in late 2025 — if, that is, everything goes according to plan. The company is viewing its station as a hub for research in microgravity as well as a place to spend time in orbit. ## Saudis in Space Long before the completion of its own station, Axiom Space is gearing up to launch its [second all-private mission to the ISS](), including two crew members from Saudi Arabia, the first members of the [kingdom's national astronaut program](). If all goes according to plan, that Ax-2 mission will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in the spring aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. As for its highly ambitious all-private space station, the company clearly has its work cut out judging by its [sleek renders](). But as evidenced by the photos, the progress so far is tangible. **More on Axiom Space:** *[Saudi Arabia Just Bought Two SpaceX Tickets to the International Space Station]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()