Axiom Space Names Tejpaul Bhatia as New CEO

Axiom Space, the Houston-based commercial space company aiming to build the world’s first private space station, has appointed a new leader. On Friday, the company announced that Tejpaul Bhatia, its Chief Revenue Officer since 2021, has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer.

Bhatia steps into the role previously held by Kam Ghaffarian, Axiom’s Executive Chairman and co-founder, who has served as interim CEO since August 2024. Ghaffarian temporarily took the helm after Mike Suffredini, fellow co-founder and former NASA executive, stepped down from the position for personal reasons but remained on the company’s board.

“I’ve been inspired by space exploration since childhood, and leading Axiom Space at this critical inflection point in human spaceflight is the realization of a lifelong ambition,” Bhatia said in a statement. “We are accelerating our investment in next-generation technologies — spacesuits, orbital infrastructure, and microgravity research and manufacturing — and we’re actively seeking passionate, visionary engineers, technologists, and entrepreneurs who want to help build humanity’s future in space.”

From Google to Orbit

Before joining Axiom Space, Bhatia spent three years at Google, where he worked as a Startup Ecosystem Manager and later played a key role in guiding the company’s transition back to in-person work following the pandemic. His background also includes leadership roles in the startup ecosystem, bringing a valuable combination of tech, business development, and operational expertise to Axiom’s ambitious plans.

Axiom’s Bold Vision for Space

Axiom Space is positioning itself as a major player in the future of commercial spaceflight. The company is currently developing Axiom Station, a modular, privately-owned space station set to be assembled in low Earth orbit by the end of the decade. It will initially be attached to the International Space Station before eventually becoming an independent platform for crewed missions, research, and in-space manufacturing.

In addition to its orbital ambitions, Axiom has secured contracts to develop next-generation extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits for NASA’s Artemis III mission — the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo.