On 25 June 2025, Texas (United States of America, USA) based Axiom Space, in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Space Exploration Technologies Corporation(SpaceX), launched its fourth private mission, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), to the International Space Station (ISS). The crew lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which propelled the new Dragon spacecraft named ‘Grace’ into orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA.
- The crew members are Peggy Whitson (USA), Subhanshu Shukla (India), Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
- This mission marks the first ISS visits by astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary, and their second government-sponsored human spaceflights in over 40 years.
- The Ax-4 mission will last for 14 days, during which the crew will stay aboard the ISS.
Ax-4 Crew Members:
i.Commander: Peggy Whitson (USA), former NASA astronaut and record holder for longest cumulative U.S. space time (675+ days)
ii.Pilot:Â Shubhanshu Shukla (India),Group Captain, Indian Air Force (IAF).
- Subhanshu Shukla becomes the second Indian to visit the ISS after Rakesh Sharma in 1984. His participation cost India Rs. 500 crore, advancing the Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for 2027 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
iii.Mission Specialist: Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland), Project astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA).
iv.Mission Specialist: Tibor Kapu (Hungary), representing Hungary’s HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) program.
Scientific Research:
i.The Ax-4 crew will conduct over 60 experiments covering biology, material sciences, and Earth observation, with participation from 31 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Nigeria.
ii.Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO’s) (Bengaluru, Karnataka) experiments include:
- Cyanobacteria growth studies to support oxygen production in space.
- Salad seed germination experiments to assess food viability for lunar and Martian missions.
- ISRO’s projects will study how tardigrades, tiny animals on Earth that can survive harsh conditions, live in space.
- Other experiments will look at how muscles weaken in space and ways to prevent it.
Axiom Space Signs MoU with Skyroot Aerospace to Advance Space Exploration
On June 25, 2025, Axiom Space signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hyderabad (Telangana)-based Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited, India’s leading private space launch service provider, to collaborate on enhancing access to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), research payloads, orbital data centers, and future missions to Axiom Station.
- The agreement was signed by Tejpaul Bhatia, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Axiom Space, and Pawan Kumar Chandana, CEO of Skyroot Aerospace.
- As part of the MoU, Axiom Space will utilize Skyroot Aerospace’s launch capabilities to transport cutting-edge research payloads, orbital data center units, and other planned missions to its developing Axiom Station.
About Axiom Space Inc.,:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Tejpaul Bhatia
Headquarters – Texas, United States of America (USA)
Founded – 2016
