AXIOM

“A segment of the public will look at this and see the $55 million price tag and think, ‘Oh, it’s a rich person’s game. It’s a stunt. Oh, I’m never going to be able to do this,’ ” Hassmann said. “But for us at Axiom, we see this as the first step into accessing space for a much larger segment of the population.”

The men have already received physical and psychological exams. Training will start roughly seven months before launch when López-Alegría and Connor, commander and pilot, respectively, travel to the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, Calif., to train in the Crew Dragon simulator.

Connor has flown more than 16 different aircraft, including an F-5 fighter jet, but his ride into space will be autonomous.

Then about five months before launch, Pathy and Stibbe join the training sessions. The four men will split their time between Hawthorne and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

The training in Houston will largely focus on living and working in microgravity: preparing food, using the bathroom, etc.

It will also provide emergency training. In these unlikely scenarios, such as a fire, the crew must follow certain procedures to get into their spacecraft.

The travelers will also fly in a zero-g aircraft to experience microgravity. And they’ll do centrifuge runs, where they experience gforces similar to launch and reentry, at a private facility in Ohio.

“I would say it’s not as bad necessarily or as stressful as it’s made out in the movies,” Hassmann said. “It’s a good training experience that prepares them for what they’re going to see when they fly.”

Axiom is a full-service provider for this mission. In addition to training, Axiom contracted with SpaceX to get this crew into space, is planning their mission and will provide services such as medical support throughout their time in microgravity. Axiom is also offering research services to help its clients conduct projects while on orbit.

Connor will collaborate with Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic on research projects. He is also planning to work with students at Dayton Early College Academy in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio, according to the Axiom news release.

Pathy is collaborating with the Canadian Space Agency and the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Stibbe, Israel’s second astronaut, plans to conduct scientific experiments of Israeli researchers and entrepreneurs, which are being coordinated by the Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency at the Ministry of Science and Technology. He will also conduct educational activities to inspire Israeli children and educators.

“Most of all, I hope this journey will inspire children and youth around the world to learn and cultivate their passions in all fields of exploration,” Stibbe said in a news release.

Seven wealthy individuals have previously flown to the International Space Station on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. But Axiom hopes to significantly expand that market, offering up to two flights a year for private astronauts and professional astronauts from other countries.

John Spencer, an outerspace architect and founder of the Space Tourism Society, said Axiom has the technical confidence and financial wherewithal to build a sustainable business that sends a large number of people into space. Many Axiom employees previously worked at NASA, including its CEO Michael Suffredini, who was the space station program manager at Johnson Space Center from 2005 to 2015.

“It’s really going to open up a whole new generation of private space travelers and access to space,” Spencer said.