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Axiom Space has chosen Portuguese physiologist Emiliano Ventura to head a new astronaut preparation program aimed at readying future crews for commercial spaceflight. The announcement, made at the International Astronautical Congress, places Ventura in charge of a six-month trial called Project Astronaut, which blends elite sports training methods with the physical and medical challenges of space.
Ventura is no stranger to Axiom’s missions. His Lisbon-based team at the Motor & Sport Institute (MSI) supported astronauts during quarantine for the company’s Ax-3 and Ax-4 flights, including Swedish astronaut Marcus Wandt.
Now, Ventura will adapt performance science used in soccer and Formula 1 to astronauts who must cope with weightlessness, radiation, and the stress of launch. He has also stated that he hopes to join a future Axiom mission himself.
At MSI’s Bio Performance Center, Ventura works with professional athletes, measuring heart rate, oxygen use, and recovery times to improve endurance. Those same tools apply in space, where microgravity shifts blood toward the head, weakens bones, and reduces muscle strength. Astronauts can lose up to 20 percent of leg power in weeks, and Ventura aims to design exercise and nutrition plans that reduce this decline.
The six-month training program includes centrifuge sessions to simulate launch forces, parabolic flights that provide 20–30 seconds of weightlessness at a time, and altitude chamber drills that mimic cabin depressurization. Outdoor survival activities will build teamwork, while spacesuit trials replicate the strain of working in bulky gear weighing more than 100 kilograms.
Veteran astronauts Peggy Whitson and Michael López-Alegría will contribute their experience to the program, ensuring it reflects real mission demands. By combining academic research with practical testing, Ventura intends to shorten the time it takes crews to adapt to orbit, allowing them to focus more quickly on experiments and station operations.
Ventura has set his sights on flying himself, possibly on Axiom’s Ax-5 mission or later. With the International Space Station due for retirement around 2030, his opportunity may come aboard Axiom’s own station. The first module will dock with the ISS next year, with plans to expand into a free-flying outpost by the end of the decade.
Traditionally, NASA astronauts train for two years with extensive survival and systems drills. Axiom’s shorter six-month approach reflects the shift toward private space travel, where scientists, doctors, and even paying passengers may replace career pilots as crew members. The company believes this faster and more specialized track will reduce costs while widening access to space.
As competition in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) grows, with projects like Starlab also in development, Axiom is positioning itself as a leader in commercial astronaut preparation. Ventura’s mix of sports science and space physiology could shape how future travelers train for what may become routine trips beyond Earth.
