Ax-4 Mission to Include Indian, Polish, and Hungarian Astronauts

Tags: Science and Technology International News

Axiom Space is collaborating with India’s ISRO, Poland, and Hungary, supported by ESA, to send three national astronauts on Ax-4.

An Overview of the News

• The crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (India), Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański (ESA/Poland), and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu (Hungary).

• The crew is pending approval from the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP), which involves NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, JAXA, and the Canadian Space Agency.

Mission Goals:

• Ax-4 aims to advance scientific research, technology demonstrations, and space commercialization.

• The mission emphasizes international cooperation by sharing knowledge, resources, and opportunities with global partners.

Significance of the Mission:

• Ax-4 will be Axiom Space’s second mission including an ESA astronaut and will see a Polish astronaut in space for the first time in over 40 years.

• The mission continues Axiom Space’s tradition of involving diverse nationalities, following previous missions with the first Saudi female astronaut, first Turkish astronaut, and first ESA astronaut on a commercial flight.

Launch Details:

• The mission will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Florida.

• The crew is expected to spend up to 14 days on the International Space Station.

Agreements:

• Axiom Space signed a memorandum of understanding with Hungary in July 2022 and a spaceflight framework agreement in September 2023 for Hungary’s astronaut program.

• In July 2024, Axiom Space signed a spaceflight framework agreement with ISRO, marking a significant step towards a joint ISRO-NASA mission on the ISS.