NEW DELHI, June 25: Axiom Space’s fourth private spaceflight mission, Axiom 4, successfully launched early Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, carrying astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time in their nations’ history.
The four-member crew lifted off at 2:30 a.m. EDT (12:00 p.m. IST) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a Crew Dragon capsule perched atop. The autonomous spacecraft, launched in partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is expected to reach the ISS in approximately 28 hours, where it will dock and be welcomed by the station’s current seven-member crew.
The mission is led by legendary NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, 65, who retired from the space agency in 2018 and now serves as Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. Whitson, a trailblazer in human space exploration, holds the U.S. record for cumulative time in space—675 days over five missions. This marks her fifth spaceflight and her second as a private astronaut, following her role as commander of Axiom 2 in 2023.
Joining her on Axiom 4 are Shubhanshu Shukla, 39, an Indian Air Force pilot representing India; Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, 41, from Poland and Tibor Kapu, 33, from Hungary.
For India, Poland, and Hungary, this mission represents a monumental return to human spaceflight after more than four decades—and the first time astronauts from each of these countries will visit the ISS. Shukla’s participation is also being seen as a precursor to India’s ambitious Gaganyaan crewed spaceflight, expected in 2027.
The astronauts are set to spend 14 days aboard the ISS, where they will conduct a series of microgravity experiments and technology demonstrations, further advancing scientific collaboration in space.
The launch came a day later than originally scheduled due to adverse weather conditions. Despite recent controversy involving Elon Musk and U.S. political leaders, the successful launch reaffirms SpaceX’s critical role in both governmental and commercial spaceflight.
This mission is the fourth in Axiom’s series of private astronaut flights since 2022, as the Texas-based startup continues its goal of enabling greater access to space through partnerships with foreign governments and commercial entities. Axiom also plans to eventually build the world’s first commercial space station.
As the Axiom 4 capsule continues its journey in low Earth orbit, anticipation builds for Thursday morning’s scheduled docking, where the historic crew will be formally welcomed aboard the ISS—marking a proud moment in the spacefaring ambitions of three rising space nations.
