CAPE CANAVERAL – A historic space mission was launched on Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center as a Falcon 9 rocket carried a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), marking the first time in over four decades that astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary are participating in an orbital mission.
The crew is led by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who now serves as mission commander under Axiom Space, the private spaceflight company managing the operation. The mission—dubbed Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4)—is the fourth privately funded human spaceflight to the ISS.
Representing their respective countries on this international crew are:
- Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (India), a serving officer in the Indian Air Force and the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS.
- Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland), the second Polish citizen to enter space after a 45-year gap.
- Tibor Kapu (Hungary), the first Hungarian astronaut to reach the ISS, participating under Hungary’s national space programme.
The Crew Dragon capsule, nicknamed “Grace”, is expected to dock with the ISS approximately 28 hours after launch, following a smooth lift-off at 6:30 GMT. The astronauts will spend 14 days on board the space station conducting microgravity experiments in biology, materials science, and technology, as well as participating in educational and cultural outreach programs.
The mission is seen as a significant milestone for all three nations, especially India, which is preparing for its own human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, scheduled for 2027. It also underscores the growing role of commercial space missions and international collaboration in shaping the future of low-Earth orbit research and travel.
This mission also marks SpaceX’s 18th human spaceflight, reinforcing the company’s central role in commercial space exploration.
Reported by PakTribune Science & Technology Desk
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