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, andUznański-Wiśniewski
The launch was originally scheduled for June 11, 2025 fromLaunch Complex 39A at theKennedy Space Center, but was scrubbed for a liquid oxygen leak.[4] A separate leak in the ISS'sZvezda module led to an additional two week launch delay.[4] The mission was eventually launched on June 25, 2025 at 06:31:53UTC (2:31:53a.m.EDT)[5] for an 18-day stay at the ISS before undocking and splashing down in thePacific Ocean off the coast ofSan Diego on July 15, 2025 at 09:31:41UTC (2:31:41amPDT).
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'sInterkosmos program.[7] While those earlier missions docked withSalyut 6 orSalyut 7, Ax-4 was the first government-sponsored mission from any of the three nations to reach theISS.[a] Among the crew, Shubhanshu Shukla was the first member ofIndia's astronaut corps to fly in space.
Ax‑4 represented a milestone for theIndian Human Spaceflight Programme, integrating withISRO'sGaganyaan initiative. While Gaganyaan remainedIndia's independent crewed program, Ax‑4 provided the first opportunity for anIndian astronaut—Shubhanshu Shukla—to fly on a commercial mission to theISS. Shukla conducted experiments developed by ISRO and Indian institutions, including studies of cognitive effects of screen use, microbial adaptation,muscle atrophy, and crop resilience inmicrogravity.[9][10][11]
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.[12]
Voyager Tardigrade (Indian Institute of Science) — Survival, revival, reproduction, and transcriptome of the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp. BLR strain in space.[13][14]
Voyager Displays (Indian Institute of Science) — Analyzing Human Interaction with Electronic Displays in Microgravity.[13][14] The study will compare performance of on board and ground crews with respect toISO 9241 pointing task, Spatial 2-back task, Perceived Stress andWHO Mental Well Being tests.
Ax‑4 also carriedTibor Kapu,Hungary's second astronaut afterBertalan Farkas.[b]Tibor Kapu was the first astronaut since the fall of the Soviet Union and the first Hungarian astronaut to board theInternational Space Station. Although Hungary is also part of the ESA, the HUNOR (short for HUNgarian to ORbit) mission was developed by theHungarian Space Office (HSO) completely independent of ESA.[15] HUNOR was first announced in 2021 and in July 2022 the Hungarian foreign ministry signed a preliminary deal with Axiom for the flight,[15] which was finalized in September 2023.[15]Tibor Kapu was selected from 247 applicants to fly on the mission, supported by backup astronautGyula Cserényi.[16] Kapu is amechanical engineer and recreationalskydiver, Cserényi is anelectrical engineer and amateursteeplechase racer.[17] Both completed their NASA training in April 2025.[18] The HUNOR mission had its own patch, separate from the Axiom Mission 4 patch, depicting theCsodaszarvas and four stars representing the final astronaut candidates.[15]
ATMP (Semmelweis University, 27G-Technology Ltd.) — development of heart muscle cells in space environment[19]
CINCINNATI (eCon Kft.) — simulation of thermal comfort for astronauts[20]
DIROS (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Science, Institute of Physics and Astronomy, SGF Kft.) — contributes to better understanding of theSaturn's hexagon cloud pattern and flows in gases or liquids[21]
END-SANS (Spinsplit Kft.) — experiment to treat astronauts' visual impairment that is caused by long periods in space[23]
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[24]
IMU-DRS (HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics) — positioning in space using accelerometers[26]
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[27]
M4D (Aedus Space Kft.) — medicine tester that usescapillary action to make sure ingredients mix precisely at the right time and place[28]
MAGOR (University of Szeged) — examining damage to the astronauts' microbiome and negative impact on their health caused by weightlessness, cosmic radiation and special diets[29]
MAGYAR (University of Pécs) — testing brain function in weightlessness usingVR[30]
MICATO (Triage Capital Zrt.) — testingion engines in microgravity[31]
ORBGEO (Space Apps Kft.) — tracking the orbit of spacecraft using photographs[32]
POSITIVE (ADMATIS Kutató, Gyártó és Kereskedelmi Kft.) — foaming of building material fromlunar regolith[33]
RANDAM (27G-Technology Kft.) — usage of a new, tiny, energy-efficientradiation dosimeter that also records scientific data on other environmental factors[34]
SAET (University of Szeged) — the impact of space travel on associative learning (Space Acquired Equivalence Test)[35]
SINGREAD (Észak-Pesti Centrumkórház–Honvédkórház) — studying the human voice in space[36]
SIS (University of Pécs) — 3D footage of the astronaut's daily activities (Step in Space)[37]
UHU (HUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science) — photographing upper-atmospheric lightning, namelysprites,blue andgigantic jets from the ISS[39]
The Ignis mission had its own patch, separate from the Axiom Mission 4 patch, depicting an eagle in thePolish colors whose wings trace the contours of theOrla Perć mountain range and a stylized depiction of theScutum constellation (a tribute toJohannes Hevelius who named the constellation) over the mission's name, Ignis, theLatin word for fire.[46]
AstroMentalHealth (University of Silesia) — impact of isolation, technology, and limited contact with nature on astronauts' mental health[48]
AstroPerformance (Mollis Textus) (Smarter Diagnostics) — studying the impact of spaceflight on the soft tissues of themusculoskeletal system[49]
EEG Neurofeedback (Academy of Physical Education and Sport inGdańsk) —electroencephalography for supporting astronauts' mental resilience and focus[50]
Axiom Mission 4 crew in black jumpsuits, from left:Kapu,Whitson,Shukla, andUznański-Wiśniewski withExpedition 73 crew in white shirtsAxiom Mission 4 crew (in dark suits) gather with drink pouches shortly after docking
Attempt
Planned
Result
Turnaround
Reason
Decision point
Weather go (%)
Notes
1
11 Jun 2025, 8:00:00 am
Scrubbed
—
Technical
10 Jun 2025, 8:45 pm
Liquid oxygen leak found on rocket following static fire. Launch scheduled for 8:00 UTC and scrubbed at 20:45 UTC.
2
22 Jun 2025, 3:42:00 am
Scrubbed
10 days 19 hours 42 minutes
Technical
19 Jun 2025, 6:48 pm
Air leak inZvezda ISS module. Scrubbed at 18:48 UTC.
3
25 Jun 2025, 2:31:53 am
Success
2 days 22 hours 50 minutes
Launched at 06:31 UTC.
On June 10, 2025, the launch of Ax-4 was postponed afterSpaceX detected aliquid oxygen leak in theFalcon 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.[63]
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 byRussian cosmonauts in the aft segment of theZvezda module, where multipleprevious leaks have occurred.[64] On June 19, 2025, NASA made the decision to stand down from a launch on June 22, 2025.[65]
Because of the multiple stand downs in close succession, Axiom-4 crew remained inquarantine for nearly four weeks, one of the longest periods in modernhuman spaceflight history. The standard quarantine for astronauts is typically just two weeks, although theApollo Moon mission astronauts were isolated for three weeks.[66]
The mission launched successfully on its third attempt on June 25, 2025 at 06:31:53UTC (2:31:52a.m.EDT).[5]Grace docked with the ISS on June 26, 2025, at 10:31:47UTC for a two-week stay.
After 18 days at the ISS,Grace undocked on July 14, 2025, 11:15UTC, commencing a 22-hour return back to Earth.[67] The spacecraft splashed down in thePacific Ocean off the coast ofSan Diego on July 15, 2025 at 09:31:36UTC (2:31:41amPDT).[68]
Axiom Mission 4 marked the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary flew to the International Space Station and the first human spaceflight for each nation in over 40 years.
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Peggy Whitson,Axiom Space
Shubhanshu Shukla,ISRO
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski,ESA/POLSA
Tibor Kapu,HSO
Michael López-Alegría,Axiom Space.jpg)
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_Alexander_Gerst.jpg)
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