LONDON, Oct 25, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - The UK Space Agency and a US spaceflight 
services company have signed an initial agreement as they bid to send British 
astronauts into orbit for two weeks, the agency said Wednesday.

The memorandum of understanding with Houston-based Axiom Space sets out plans 
for a flight that would see British astronauts conduct a two-week mission in 
space.

"On this future flight, the UK astronauts would launch to space, spending up 
to two weeks on orbit to carry out scientific research, demonstrate new 
technologies, and participate in education and outreach activities," the 
agency said. 

Axiom was founded by its chief executive Michael Suffredini, who served as 
NASA's International Space Station (ISS) program manager from 2005 to 2015. 

It has sent two crewed missions into orbit with SpaceX rockets in April 2022 
and in May this year.

The first mission carried an astronaut and three "investors" with the crew 
spending 17 days in orbit.

The second mission carried a crew of four and lasted 10 days.

Axiom says it is working on what will become the first-ever commercial space 
station.

The mission with the UK would be commercially sponsored and supported by the 
European Space Agency.

It would build on the UK government's space strategy which identifies five 
technologies as critical: artificial intelligence, engineering biology, 
telecommunications, semiconductors and quantum technologies. 

"With this agreement as the initial foundation, we will build a comprehensive 
mission plan in support of the UK's national and agency objectives to advance 
its capabilities in space exploration and discovery," Suffredini said. 

Helen Sharman from Sheffield became the first Briton in space in 1991 when 
she went into orbit aboard a Soviet Soyuz TM-12 space capsule.