From June 1, 2023, Marcus Wandt is officially part of the European astronaut corps at the space organization ESA.
The assignment is planned to be carried out in 2023/2024. The destination will be the International Space Station.
The trip is arranged by Axiom Space and the logistics are handled by SpaceX with the Dragon 2 space capsule and the reusable rocket type
Falcon 9.
The length of the trip is planned to be approximately two weeks and the purpose is to conduct Swedish and international research into weightlessness.
The flight is financed through an extended Swedish contribution to ESA. In addition to the Ministry of Education and the Swedish Space Agency, the Swedish Defense Forces, the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), SAAB and the industrial group FAM participate.
The cost of Sweden’s expanded investment in ESA amounts to a total of just over SEK 400 million, spread over three years, 2023 – 2025.
Source: The Swedish Space Agency