Axiom Space is Building the Future of Research in Space

During a press conference at the 77^th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye, Axiom Space’s Chief Science Officer Dr. Lucie Low met with media to discuss how Axiom Space will provide the research community continuous access to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and enable emerging commercial orbital research activities.

Dr. Low, a neuroscientist, leads Axiom Space’s strategic research priorities and has supported hundreds of science research experiments and payloads including private astronaut missions. Low explained that the research conducted in space by the international scientific community can translate into benefits for healthcare, agriculture, and technological advancements driving real-world benefits for people on Earth.

“Even after decades of science in space, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what this means to harness the full opportunities afforded by the microgravity environment,” said Dr. Low. “I believe that science is the mission of everything we do at Axiom Space – we are dedicated to supporting scientific research in space to expand human knowledge and provide the opportunity for humanity to benefit from this knowledge.”

Through Axiom Space’s private astronaut missions, research partnerships, and science research initiatives, the company is uniquely positioned to enable the research community to engage in microgravity research and drive international support for science priorities in space.

Axiom Space is working to preserve and expand access to LEO for research to advance human exploration during a transition from government-led to a commercially-enabled future, post ISS.  

To provide the collaborative infrastructure science research requires, last year Axiom Space established the Axiom Space University Alliance. This growing network is now 36 institutions strong across 16 nations and 4 continents. The University Alliance unites global academic and research institutions to ensure science remains at the heart of space exploration and commercialization. This network of researchers will not only identify key areas of scientific opportunity but also facilitate the development of international research priorities that reflect collective input, strategic value, and real-world impact.

Two Axiom Space University Alliance members attended the press conference. The Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Türkiye, which joined the Alliance in May, was represented by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil, President of METU. METU is a nationally and globally recognized science and tech research university that is trailblazing the future of access to space.

The second university in attendance was ETH Zürich. Dr. Low announced ETH Zürich at IAC as a new Axiom Space University Alliance member. Dr. Florian Kehl, Director, Space Research Initiatives of ETH Zürich represented the university. ETH Zürich is a leading technical and scientific university in Zurich, Switzerland.

As the leader in commercial human space exploration, Axiom Space is building future opportunities in space to ensure innovative science initiatives are inclusive and collaborative for the space ecosystem and the future of space-enabled R&D. It’s opening up new commercial opportunities with in-space manufacturing and investment into advanced materials such as semiconductors that could transform industries on Earth.

Recognizing that science is also performed and supported by industry to translate fundamental findings into applied R&D, Axiom Space collaborates with many industry partners. On Oct. 7, Axiom Space and Exobiosphere, a space biotechnology company, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) furthering collaboration in biomedical research to accelerate innovative drug discovery in LEO. Together, their joint efforts will help gain deeper biological insights in drug development that can translate into advancements in drug therapies, disease management improvement, and the acceleration of drug discovery helping patients here on Earth.

Through these collaborative research efforts, Axiom Space is leading the international research community to enable breakthroughs that change the trajectory of human innovation.