Peggy Whitson Leads Historic Private Mission to ISS with Crewmates from India, Poland, and Hungary
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL: Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson made her fifth journey into space early Wednesday, leading a four-member international team on a historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The flight, organized by Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX, also marks the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary will visit the ISS.
The mission lifted off at 2:30 a.m. EDT (11:30 a.m. PKT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch lit up Florida’s Atlantic coast, streaking into the night sky with a brilliant trail of fiery exhaust.
Mission Highlights
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The Crew Dragon capsule, named “Grace”, is making its maiden voyage as the fifth vehicle in the SpaceX human-rated fleet.
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The mission, known as Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), will dock with the ISS after a 28-hour journey, orbiting about 400 km above Earth.
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The team will spend 14 days in orbit, conducting microgravity experiments and scientific research.
Meet the Axiom Mission 4 Crew
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Peggy Whitson (USA) – Mission Commander, former NASA astronaut, and current Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom. She holds the US record for most days spent in space at 675 days.
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Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – Indian Air Force pilot; his journey is seen as a precursor to India’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for 2027.
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Sawosz Uznaski-Winiewski (Poland) – A researcher representing Poland’s return to human spaceflight after more than four decades.
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Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – Marks Hungary’s first ISS mission and re-entry into space exploration since the early 1980s.
A New Era for Private Spaceflight
This is Axiom Space’s fourth mission since 2022, continuing its efforts to bridge government and commercial space exploration. Axiom plans to develop a commercial space station that may replace the ISS by the time NASA retires it around 2030.
NASA supports Axiom by providing access to the launch site and assuming oversight of the mission once the crew reaches the ISS. The partnership with SpaceX also highlights the growing role of private companies in human spaceflight, following NASA’s shift toward commercial collaboration since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011.
Looking Ahead
For India, Poland, and Hungary, this mission represents a return to human space exploration and opens the door for further participation in international space programs.
As the crew embarks on two weeks of scientific discovery and international cooperation, the mission stands as a milestone in the evolving landscape of space travel, led not only by government agencies but also private pioneers like Axiom Space and SpaceX.
