Michael Lopez-Alegria

Michael López-Alegría, originally from Madrid, Spain, has accumulated over 40 years of aviation and space experience with the U.S. Navy and NASA. His varied roles have included Naval Aviator, engineering test pilot, program manager, NASA astronaut, and notably, the International Space Station Commander. López-Alegría serves as the Vice President of Business Development for AxiomSpace, where he joined in 2017, and has been chosen to command the crew of "Ax-1," the first fully private mission to the ISS. His track record includes four space missions, specifically the Space Shuttle missions STS-73, STS-92, STS-113, and commanding the ISS Expedition 14, journeying to and from the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-9.

He holds the second longest all-time Extravehicular Activities (EVA) duration record, as well as the fifth-longest spaceflight record of any American astronaut. He is also recognized for conducting the most EVA or “space walks” (10) and accumulating an EVA time of 67 hours 40 minutes. López-Alegría commanded "Axiom Mission 1," the first all-private team of commercial astronauts to the ISS, and more recently, "Axiom Mission 3," that launched on January 18, 2024. His extensive contributions to space exploration earned him a place in the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame as a 2020 inductee on November 13, 2021.

Formerly, López-Alegría served as the President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation until the end of 2014, where he advocated for the commercial spaceflight industry with the U.S. Congress and relevant Executive Agencies. Currently, he performs as an independent consultant to space companies and continues to hold positions on several advisory boards, including the Human Exploration and Operations Committee of the NASA Advisory Council and the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee to the FAA. His active engagement in public speaking domestically and internationally, including an interview titled "Entrevista exclusiva con el astronauta español MIGUEL LÓPEZ-ALEGRIA" conducted on April 8, 2022, further highlights his prolific career in the field.

Apart from his professional roles, López-Alegría has been awarded the National Defense Service Medal with one award star, NASA Space Flight Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" in recognition of his significant accomplishments. He also chairs ASTM International’s Committee on Commercial Spaceflight and has served as the past President of the Association of Space Explorers USA, a professional and educational organization of current and former Astronauts.