Axiom Mission 4

Axiom Mission 4
Crew Dragon Grace approaching the ISS.
NamesAx-4
Mission typePrivate spaceflight to the ISS
Operator
COSPAR ID2025-136A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.64593Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration20 days, 2 hours and 59 minutes
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftCrew Dragon Grace
Spacecraft typeCrew Dragon
ManufacturerSpaceX
Crew
Crew size4
Members
Start of mission
Launch dateJune 25, 2025, 06:31:53 UTC (2:31:53 am EDT)
RocketFalcon 9 Block 5 B1094-2, Flight 495
Launch siteKennedy, LC‑39A
ContractorSpaceX
End of mission
Recovered byMV Shannon
Landing dateJuly 15, 2025, 09:31:41 UTC (2:31:41 am PDT)
Landing sitePacific Ocean near San Diego (32°36′N 117°42′W / 32.6°N 117.7°W / 32.6; -117.7)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.64°
Docking with ISS
Docking portHarmony zenith
Docking dateJune 26, 2025, 10:31:47 UTC
Undocking dateJuly 14, 2025, 11:15 UTC
Time docked18 days, 43 minutes

From left to right: Axiom mission patch, Uznański-Wiśniewski's Ignis mission patch, Kapu's Hunor mission patch

From left to right: Kapu, Whitson, Shukla, and Uznański-Wiśniewski
Axiom Space missions

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4) was a private crewed spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) operated by Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX and NASA. The mission launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, which placed the Crew Dragon Grace spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Ax-4 was the first mission to fly aboard the Crew Dragon capsule 'Grace' (C213), which is the fifth and final Dragon capsule manufactured.

The launch was originally scheduled for June 11, 2025 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, but was scrubbed for a liquid oxygen leak. A separate leak in the ISS's Zvezda module led to an additional two week launch delay. The mission was eventually launched on June 25, 2025 at 06:31:53 UTC (2:31:53 a.m. EDT) for an 18-day stay at the ISS before undocking and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on July 15, 2025 at 09:31:41 UTC (2:31:41 am PDT).

Crew

The four-person crew included commander Peggy Whitson, an Axiom Space employee and former NASA astronaut; pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO); and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut from Poland, and Tibor Kapu, representing the Hungarian Space Office.

The mission marked the first government-sponsored human spaceflight in over 40 years, and only the second overall, for India, Hungary, and Poland. Each of these countries previously flew one astronaut as part of the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program. While those earlier missions docked with Salyut 6 or Salyut 7, Ax-4 was the first government-sponsored mission from any of the three nations to reach the ISS. Among the crew, Shubhanshu Shukla was the first member of India's astronaut corps to fly in space.

Prime crew
Position Astronaut
Commander United States Peggy Whitson, Axiom Space
Fifth spaceflight
Pilot India Shubhanshu Shukla, ISRO
First spaceflight
Mission specialist Poland Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, ESA
First spaceflight
Mission specialist Hungary Tibor Kapu, HSO
First spaceflight
Backup crew
Position Astronaut
Commander United States Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space
Pilot India Prasanth Nair, ISRO
Mission specialist Hungary Gyula Cserényi, HSO

Gaganyaan

Ax‑4 represented a milestone for the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, integrating with ISRO's Gaganyaan initiative. While Gaganyaan remained India's independent crewed program, Ax‑4 provided the first opportunity for an Indian astronaut—Shubhanshu Shukla—to fly on a commercial mission to the ISS. Shukla conducted experiments developed by ISRO and Indian institutions, including studies of cognitive effects of screen use, microbial adaptation, muscle atrophy, and crop resilience in microgravity.

According to ISRO, the mission provided practical experience in the intricacies of crew-ground coordination, real-time health telemetry, medical and psychological preparation, international crew integration, and experiment execution. For the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, it will have a direct impact on astronaut preparedness, safety validation, and mission planning.

Experiments

The experiments are co-ordinated by ISRO.

HUNOR

Ax‑4 also carried Tibor Kapu, Hungary's second astronaut after Bertalan Farkas. Tibor Kapu was the first Hungarian astronaut since the fall of the Soviet Union and the first to board the International Space Station. Although Hungary is also part of the ESA, the HUNOR (short for HUNgarian to ORbit) mission was developed by the Hungarian Space Office (HSO) completely independent of ESA. HUNOR was first announced in 2021 and in July 2022 the Hungarian foreign ministry signed a preliminary deal with Axiom for the flight, which was finalized in September 2023. Tibor Kapu was selected from 247 applicants to fly on the mission, supported by backup astronaut Gyula Cserényi. Kapu is a mechanical engineer and recreational skydiver, Cserényi is an electrical engineer and amateur steeplechase racer. Both completed their NASA training in April 2025. The HUNOR mission had its own patch, separate from the Axiom Mission 4 patch, depicting the Csodaszarvas and four stars representing the final astronaut candidates.

Experiments

  • ATMP (Semmelweis University, 27G-Technology Ltd.) — development of heart muscle cells in space environment
  • CINCINNATI (eCon Kft.) — simulation of thermal comfort for astronauts
  • DIROS (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Science, Institute of Physics and Astronomy, SGF Kft.) — contributes to better understanding of the Saturn's hexagon cloud pattern and flows in gases or liquids
  • DNA-REPAIR (University of Szeged) — reducing damage to DNA-molecules to protect astronauts from cosmic rays using genetically modified fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), that are to be tested and compared with specimens on Earth
  • END-SANS (Spinsplit Kft.) — experiment to treat astronauts' visual impairment that is caused by long periods in space
  • ENPERCHAR (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Institute of People–Environment Transaction) — the research explores the interaction (transaction) between humans and their physical environment on the International Space Station
  • ESEL3D (University of Pécs) — impact of space conditions on 3D printed devices
  • IMU-DRS (HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics) — positioning in space using accelerometers
  • KRIJAP (HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences) — crystal growth from new organic material in zero gravity, with resulting crystals to be brought to Earth where their atomic structure is to be determined
  • M4D (Aedus Space Kft.) — medicine tester that uses capillary action to make sure ingredients mix precisely at the right time and place
  • MAGOR (University of Szeged) — examining damage to the astronauts' microbiome and negative impact on their health caused by weightlessness, cosmic radiation and special diets
  • MAGYAR (University of Pécs) — testing brain function in weightlessness using VR
  • MICATO (Triage Capital Zrt.) — testing ion engines in microgravity
  • ORBGEO (Space Apps Kft.) — tracking the orbit of spacecraft using photographs
  • POSITIVE (ADMATIS Kutató, Gyártó és Kereskedelmi Kft.) — foaming of building material from lunar regolith
  • RANDAM (27G-Technology Kft.) — usage of a new, tiny, energy-efficient radiation dosimeter that also records scientific data on other environmental factors
  • SAET (University of Szeged) — the impact of space travel on associative learning (Space Acquired Equivalence Test)
  • SINGREAD (Észak-Pesti Centrumkórház–Honvédkórház) — studying the human voice in space
  • SIS (University of Pécs) — 3D footage of the astronaut's daily activities (Step in Space)
  • TESH (Európai Tudásközpont Fejlesztő, Szolgáltató és Kereskedelmi Kft., Semmelweis University, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Canadian Space Agency (CSA)) — health assessment of astronauts
  • UHU (HUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science) — photographing upper-atmospheric lightning, namely sprites, blue and gigantic jets from the ISS
  • VISPRO (University of Debrecen) — vascular ultrasound examination in weightlessness
  • VITAPRIC (University of Debrecen, University of Pécs) — examining space conditions on vitamin, mineral and protein content of plant samples

Ignis

For Poland, Ax‑4 was the first crewed mission since 1978. The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have partnered on the Ignis mission for astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski. He was the second ESA astronaut to fly on a commercial human spaceflight mission. His payload suite included experiments in technology and life sciences.

Mission patch

The Ignis mission had its own patch, separate from the Axiom Mission 4 patch, depicting an eagle in the Polish colors whose wings trace the contours of the Orla Perć mountain range and a stylized depiction of the Scutum constellation (a tribute to Johannes Hevelius who named the constellation) over the mission's name, Ignis, the Latin word for fire.

Training

Before the mission, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski trained at facilities in Europe, Japan, and the United States. At the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, he focused on the experiments he will perform and on ESA's Columbus laboratory module. At JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center in Japan, his training covered the operation of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibō. In the United States, he trained at various NASA facilities, as well as at facilities of SpaceX and Axiom Space. His preparation also included parabolic flights and outdoor survival training.

Experiments

Mission

Axiom Mission 4 crew in black jumpsuits, from left: Kapu, Whitson, Shukla, and Uznański-Wiśniewski with Expedition 73 crew in white shirts
Axiom Mission 4 crew (in dark suits) gather with drink pouches shortly after docking
AttemptPlannedResultTurnaroundReasonDecision pointWeather go (%)Notes
111 Jun 2025, 8:00:00 amScrubbed—Technical10 Jun 2025, 8:45 pmLiquid oxygen leak found on rocket following static fire. Launch scheduled for 8:00 UTC and scrubbed at 20:45 UTC.
222 Jun 2025, 3:42:00 amScrubbed10 days 19 hours 42 minutesTechnical19 Jun 2025, 6:48 pmAir leak in Zvezda ISS module. Scrubbed at 18:48 UTC.
325 Jun 2025, 2:31:53 amSuccess2 days 22 hours 50 minutesLaunched at 06:31 UTC.

On June 10, 2025, the launch of Ax-4 was postponed after SpaceX detected a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon 9 rocket during a post-static fire inspection. The mission was put on hold to allow time for necessary repairs. SpaceX officially announced it was "standing down" from the launch to ensure the safety and integrity of the mission hardware.

On June 12, 2025, the mission was delayed to allow the crew of the space station to investigate a new potential pressure leak. The potential leak was detected following leak repair and sealing efforts by Russian cosmonauts in the aft segment of the Zvezda module, where multiple previous leaks have occurred. On June 19, 2025, NASA made the decision to stand down from a launch on June 22, 2025.

Because of the multiple stand downs in close succession, Axiom-4 crew remained in quarantine for nearly four weeks, one of the longest periods in modern human spaceflight history. The standard quarantine for astronauts is typically just two weeks, although the Apollo Moon mission astronauts were isolated for three weeks.

The mission launched successfully on its third attempt on June 25, 2025 at 06:31:53 UTC (2:31:53 a.m. EDT). Grace docked with the ISS on June 26, 2025, at 10:31:47 UTC for a two-week stay.

After 18 days at the ISS, Grace undocked on July 14, 2025, 11:15 UTC, commencing a 22-hour return to Earth. The spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on July 15, 2025 at 09:31:41 UTC (2:31:41 am PDT).

Notes

  1. ↑ Charles Simonyi, who was born in Hungary, flew on two privately funded trips to the ISS on Soyuz TMA-10 and TMA-14 under the US flag.
  2. ↑ In 2007 Hungarian-American buissnessman Charles Simonyi flew as a space tourist to the ISS on Soyuz TMA-10, although he is often omitted as an official "astronaut."

See also

References

  1. ↑ "NASA Selects Axiom Space for Another Private Space Mission in 2024". NASA. August 3, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  2. ↑ Foust, Jeff (November 19, 2022). "SpaceX to launch last new cargo Dragon spacecraft". SpaceNews. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  3. ↑ Berger, Eric (February 6, 2025). "NASA will swap Dragon spacecraft on the ground to return Butch and Suni sooner". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Wall, Mike (June 12, 2025). "SpaceX launch of private Ax-4 astronauts postponed indefinitely due to leaky ISS module". Space. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Ax-4 Launch". Next Spaceflight.
  6. ↑ Foust, Jeff (August 5, 2024). "Hungary and Poland to join India on Ax-4". SpaceNews. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Axiom Mission 4". Axiom Space.
  8. ↑ "Axiom Mission 4 to ISS will include India, Poland, Hungary". Axiom Space (Press release). August 5, 2024. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Ax-4 Research Overview". Axiom Space. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Gaganyaan – India's Human Spaceflight Program". ISRO. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  11. ↑ "NASA, ISRO Research Aboard Fourth Private Astronaut Mission to Station". NASA. June 4, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Axiom-4 trip to the ISS will provide valuable inputs for Gaganyaan mission: ISRO". The Hindu. July 2, 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "MSN". MSN. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Indian Microgravity Research Portfolio in upcoming Axiom-4 Mission". ISRO. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Axiom Mission 4 to ISS will include India, Poland, Hungary". Axiom Space. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Tibor Kapu". Axiom Space. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  17. ↑ "The second Hungarian astronaut who is going into space also graduated from BME". bme.hu. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Hungarian Astronauts Complete NASA Training Ahead of Axiom Mission 4". HungarianConservative.com. April 14, 2025.
  19. ↑ "ATMP". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  20. ↑ "CINCINNATI". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  21. ↑ "DIROS". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  22. ↑ "DNA-REPAIR". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  23. ↑ "END-SANS". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  24. ↑ "ENPERCHAR". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  25. ↑ "ESEL3D". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  26. ↑ "IMU-DRS". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  27. ↑ "KRIJAP". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  28. ↑ "M4D". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  29. ↑ "MAGOR". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  30. ↑ "MAGYAR". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  31. ↑ "MICATO". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  32. ↑ "ORBGEO". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  33. ↑ "POSITIVE". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  34. ↑ "RANDAM". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  35. ↑ "SAET". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  36. ↑ "SINGREAD". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  37. ↑ "SIS". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  38. ↑ "TESH". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  39. ↑ "UHU". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  40. ↑ "VISPRO". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  41. ↑ "VITAPRIC". hunor.gov.hu (in Hungarian). HUNOR. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  42. ↑ "First Polish mission to International Space Station to launch in spring 2025". notesfrompoland. December 5, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  43. ↑ "Polish mission to the International Space Station has received its official name – Ignis". researchinpoland.org. January 29, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  44. ↑ ""Ignis" Mission: Poland's Historic Leap into Space". gov.pl. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  45. ↑ "ignis". ESA. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  46. ↑ "N° 68–2024: ESA and Poland reveal 'Ignis' as name of Polish mission to International Space Station". European Space Agency. December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  47. ↑ "Countdown to Ignis – ESA – Exploration". Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  48. ↑ "AstroMentalHealth". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  49. ↑ "Astro Performance (Mollis Textus)". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  50. ↑ "EEG Neurofeedback". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  51. ↑ "Human Gut Microbiota". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  52. ↑ "Immune Multiomics". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  53. ↑ "KP Labs Announces LeopardISS Experiment to Join the Polish Mission on the International Space Station". spaceagency. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  54. ↑ "MXene in LEO". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  55. ↑ "PhotonGrav". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  56. ↑ "Scalable Radiation Monitor (RADMON on ISS)". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  57. ↑ "Space Volcanic Algae". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  58. ↑ "Algae to Fly High on the Ignis Space Mission – Space Botany". Space Botany. December 16, 2024. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  59. ↑ "Stability of Drugs". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  60. ↑ "Wireless Acoustics". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  61. ↑ "Yeast TardigradeGene". IGNIS (in Polish). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  62. ↑ "Algae to Fly High on the Ignis Space Mission – Space Botany". Space Botany. December 16, 2024. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  63. ↑ SpaceX [@SpaceX] (June 10, 2025). "Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post-static fire booster inspections. Once complete—and pending range availability—we will share a new launch date" (Tweet). Retrieved June 11, 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  64. ↑ Berger, Eric (June 13, 2025). "There's another leak on the ISS, but NASA is not saying much about it". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  65. ↑ "NASA Provides Latest Axiom Mission 4 Launch, Station Operations Update – NASA". June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  66. ↑ "Axiom-4 astronauts in quarantine for 3 weeks with no launch date in sight". WION. WION News. June 20, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  67. ↑ "Ax-4 crew docks with International Space Station after 28-hour rendezvous - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. June 26, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  68. ↑ "Axiom-4 astronauts on SpaceX Crew Dragon welcomed aboard International Space Station (video)". Space. June 25, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  69. ↑ Dinner, Josh (July 14, 2025). "Private Ax-4 astronauts depart ISS after unexpected extended stay". Space.com. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  70. ↑ Dinner, Josh (July 15, 2025). "Private Ax-4 astronauts splash down aboard SpaceX capsule to conclude ISS mission (video)". Space.com. Retrieved July 15, 2025.