Michael López-Alegria

Chief Astronaut Axiom Space

Michael López-Alegría is the chief astronaut for Axiom Space. He commanded the crew of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first private mission to the ISS in human history, and subsequently served as commander of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3). He is a six-time astronaut, having flown on Ax-1, Ax-3, space shuttle missions STS- 73, STS-92, and STS- 113, and Soyuz TMA-9 to and from the ISS, where he served as Commander of Expedition 14.

Michael is a decorated astronaut who returned to low-Earth orbit for the sixth time in 2024 as commander of Axiom Mission 3. He also commanded Axiom Space’s first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station in 2022, known as Axiom Mission 1. “Mike L-A” (as he’s known to the space community) is involved in both operational and business development efforts within Axiom Space.

He has more than 40 years of aviation and space experience with the U.S. Navy and NASA in a variety of roles including Naval Aviator, engineering test pilot and program manager, NASA astronaut, and International Space Station commander. He also holds NASA records for most extravehicular activities (EVAs) or ”spacewalks” (10) and cumulative EVA time (67 hours, 40 minutes). He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2021.