The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) of UAE signed an agreement with Axiom Space to fly a UAE professional crew member to the International Space Station.
Prerequisites:
• Institutional & political interest and support for human spaceflight
• Partnerships with space agency or commercial provider with access to space exploration mission
• Existence of technological capabilities and infrastructure in national ecosystem (space agency, industry or academia) to develop payload
• Lead agency & budget
• Procurement pathway
• Partner support as needed
Cost:
Small payloads such as CubeSats, ISS experiments, hosted sensors
• Ballpark: USD 0.5M–5M
• Includes: payload/experiment design and development, safety and integration reviews, procurement of launch opportunity via partner mission, data downlink and storage, researcher training and exchanges, data analysis and publication
Larger payloads such as lander/rover instruments, advanced experiments
• Ballpark: USD 5M–50M
• Includes: co-development of instruments with partner agencies or primes, environmental testing and qualification, integration with host spacecraft, launch and operations participation, scientific exploitation and outreach
Timeframe:
Small payloads
• Overall 24–48 mo
• Phase: partnership agreement & payload definition (6–12 mo), design & development (12–18 mo), integration & launch (6–12 mo), operations & data analysis (6–12 mo)
Larger payloads
• Overall 48–96 mo
• Phase: partnership & scoping (12–18 mo), design & development (18–36 mo), integration & launch (12–24 mo), operations & data exploitation (12–24 mo)
Pros:
• Reduces Government Costs - Using existing commercial technologies and allows nations to leapfrog and obtain services and opportunities without having to develop the technologies and infrastructures from scratch, helping lower public spending
• Accelerates Capability Development - Business partnerships can speed up the development of human spaceflight systems through private-sector innovation and expertise.
Considerations:
• Reduced Public Control - Private sector priorities may not fully align with national goals, affecting mission direction
• Complex Agreements - Partnerships may involve difficult negotiations over IP rights, regulations, and liability