NASA Picks Voyager for Seventh Private Astronaut Mission to the ISS
NASA and Voyager Technologies signed an order for the seventh private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, named VOYG-1 and targeted to launch no earlier than 2028 from Florida. It is Voyager's first private-astronaut selection and the third provider after Axiom Space and Vast.
NASA has awarded Voyager Technologies the order for the seventh private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, according to an agency news release updated April 15. The mission, designated VOYG-1, is targeted to launch no earlier than 2028 from Florida and is expected to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory.
It is Voyager's first private astronaut mission selection and brings to three the number of companies NASA has contracted for such missions, alongside Axiom Space and Vast.
"Private astronaut missions are accelerating the growth of new ideas, industries, and technologies that strengthen America's presence in low Earth orbit and pave the way for what comes next," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in the release. "With three providers now selected for private missions, NASA is doing everything we can to send more astronauts to space and ignite the orbital economy."
Voyager chairman and CEO Dylan Taylor said the award "reflects decades of partnership with NASA" and framed the mission within the company's broader strategy, from "the International Space Station's first commercial airlock to the seventh private astronaut mission." The Nanoracks-built Bishop Airlock, now a Voyager asset, was attached to the station in December 2020 and is the first commercial module permanently installed on the ISS.
The PAM roster
NASA's private astronaut mission program now has seven orders booked across three providers:
| Mission | Provider | Status | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAM-1 / Ax-1 | Axiom Space | Flown | April 2022 |
| PAM-2 / Ax-2 | Axiom Space | Flown | May 2023 |
| PAM-3 / Ax-3 | Axiom Space | Flown | January 2024 |
| PAM-4 / Ax-4 | Axiom Space | Flown | June 2025 |
| PAM-5 / Ax-5 | Axiom Space | Contracted | NET January 2027 |
| PAM-6 | Vast | Contracted | NET summer 2027 |
| PAM-7 / VOYG-1 |
Vast's PAM-6 will fly aboard a SpaceX Dragon launched on a Falcon 9. The launch vehicle for Voyager's VOYG-1 was not named in the agency's release.
Mission scope
Under the award, Voyager will propose four crew members to NASA and its international partners for review and training. The company is responsible for purchasing mission services from NASA — crew consumables, cargo delivery, storage, and other in-orbit resources — while NASA will purchase the ability to return cold-stow scientific samples aboard the mission.
NASA made the selection from proposals received in response to its March 2025 NASA Research Announcement.
Voyager's broader posture
Voyager Technologies, formerly Voyager Space, is one of the companies NASA is funding under its Commercial LEO Destinations program to develop a successor to the International Space Station. Voyager's station concept is Starlab, a free-flying commercial outpost developed in partnership with Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, Palantir, Hilton and Northrop Grumman, with SpaceX contracted as launch provider.
The ISS is currently planned for decommissioning around 2030. Commercial successors are expected to take over low-Earth-orbit human spaceflight — a transition NASA's private astronaut missions are designed to prepare for by giving commercial providers and their customers operational experience aboard the existing station.