Astronauts From Poland, Hungary, And India Will Fly To The ISS On Axiom Mission 4

Axiom Space officially announced its partnership with Poland with European Space Agency (ESA) support, India through the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and Hungary to send three national astronauts to the space station on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). 

About Axiom Mission 4

Axiom Mission 4 ( Ax-4) is the fourth private spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS). It is scheduled for October 2024 and will last 14 days. Axiom Space will operate the flight, which will use a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The flight will take off from the LC-39 A of the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.

International Crew

The crew will include astronaut Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and current astronaut, Director of Human Space Flight at Axiom Space. Whitson holds the record for spending the most time in space among all Americans and women, totalling 675 days. Peggy Whitson will be a mission commander.

Also, the team is expected to include astronaut Sławosz Uznański from Poland, pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India, and mission specialist Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

Ambitious Goals Of AX-4

Ax-4 will be the second commercial human spaceflight mission with an ESA project astronaut. Previously, Swedish astronaut Marcus Wandt flew with Axiom Mission 3, launched on 18 January 2024.

Recently, the UK astronaut Tim Peake joined Axiom Space in July this year.

“Ax-4 represents Axiom Space’s continued efforts to build opportunities for countries to research, innovate, test, and engage with people around the world while in low-Earth orbit,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space. “This mission broadens horizons for nations with ambitious goals of advancing scientific, technological, and economic pursuits. Our collaboration with ESA for a second time and the inclusion of Hungary and India underscores Axiom Space’s ability to cultivate global partners, expand the scope of exploration, and open up new avenues to grow a global space economy.”

As Ax-4 mission commander Peggy Whitson said: “With a culturally diverse crew, we are not only advancing scientific knowledge but also fostering international collaboration. Our previous missions set the stage. Axiom Mission 1 was the first all-private mission to the space station, Axiom Mission 2 launched the first Saudi female to space, and Axiom Mission 3 included both the first Turkish astronaut and first ESA astronaut to fly on a commercial space mission. Now, with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing even more nations to low-Earth orbit and expanding humanity’s reach among the stars.”

Apart from establishing international cooperation and sharing knowledge concerning space exploration, Axiom Mission 4 to ISS will emphasize on scientific research, technological innovations, and commercial access to space.