A previous Ars article gives some additional perspective on the crew's relationship with ESA. Axiom is also partnered with Thales for a commercial space station

A previous Ars article gives some additional perspective on the crew's relationship with ESA. Axiom is also partnered with Thales for a commercial space station, so other links already exist. By filling this astronaut reserve pool, ESA seems to have created a market for Axiom Space, a move that might raise questions given the agency’s purpose is to promote the European space sector. In fact, the ESA’s founding Convention enshrines the principle of geo-return, which grants member states at least an 80 percent return on their contributions into ESA’s budget in the form of research and development contracts. Although the cost of the Axiom missions is paid through ESA, most of this money goes to the Texas-headquartered Axiom Space and its launch provider, SpaceX. https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/01/axiom-and-spacex-are-disrupting-europes-traditional-pathway-to-space/ https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/01/axiom-and-spacex-are-d...