Leidos stows cargo for first all-private space mission
Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) capsule approaching the International Space Station less than a day after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: NASA
Ax-1, the first all-private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), completed its 17-day journey and returned safely to Earth last week.
Leidos was the end-to-end cargo logistics provider for the mission, led by NASA and commercial spaceflight company Axiom Space.
Why you should know: The mission represents a breakthrough in NASA’s plan to establish a thriving commercial presence in low Earth orbit.
This new era of commercial space exploration will allow NASA to focus on missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.
Leidos impact: Leidos experts integrated cargo for the Ax-1 mission, including products like clothing, food and scientific equipment. Many of these items, including wearable electronics, had never been used in space and required special certification.
Leidos engineers put several of these items through a rigorous material assessment process that accounted for flammability, radiation, electromagnetic interference and off-gassing, which can release harmful chemicals.
The Leidos team also provided data solutions to maximize stowage while adhering to mass limits.
Leidos processes and delivers roughly 35,000 pounds of cargo annually to the ISS as part of NASA’s Cargo Mission Contract.
From the source: “Commercial Private Astronaut Missions are new, and safety and precision are paramount,” said Leidos expert Ernest Sanchez. “As part of Ax-1 mission requirements, NASA asked commercial entities to use their trusted partners, and we were proud to be selected by Axiom to support this groundbreaking mission.”
Looking ahead: The ISS will retire in 2030, making way for commercial space stations Starlab, Blue Reef and Axiom Station.
Many experts predict a booming low Earth orbit economy could arrive as early as 2035.
“We plan to evolve our capabilities and workforce to support commercial entities as we continue to support NASA in these plans,” Sanchez said. “It’s going to be an exciting transition, and we will remain focused on the safety of the crew and vehicles.”
Please contact the Leidos media relations team for more information.
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Certain statements in this announcement constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These statements are not guarantees of future results or occurrences. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the "Risk Factors" set forth in Leidos' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Leidos does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statements were made.
