Axiom Mission 4 returns to Earth after 18 days aboard the ISS, marking historic firsts for India, Poland, and Hungary in human spaceflight.
The Ax-4 crew prepares to depart the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft Grace, marking the end of their 18-day mission in orbit. Credit: NASA
- Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) successfully completed an 18-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
- The mission included astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary for the first time in over 40 years.
- Over 60 scientific investigations were conducted during the mission.
- Ax-4 supports the shift towards commercial space operations.
At 7:15 a.m. EDT on July 14, the crew of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) undocked from the International Space Station, wrapping up an 18-day stay that marked new milestones in commercial and international spaceflight.
The team — led by veteran NASA astronaut and current Axiom Space human spaceflight director Peggy Whitson — splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 5:31 a.m. EDT the next day. Their ride home, the SpaceX Dragon capsule Grace, was swiftly recovered by SpaceX vessels, according to a July 15 NASA press release, concluding a journey emblematic of spaceflight’s new era.
Launched June 25 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Ax-4 was Axiom’s fourth private astronaut mission supported by NASA to the ISS. It reflected the agency’s ongoing push to transition low-Earth orbit operations to commercial providers, freeing up resources for Artemis missions to the Moon.
The Ax-4 crew included Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary — astronauts representing their countries on the ISS for the first time. For all three nations, this was their first government-sponsored human spaceflight participation in over 40 years. Shukla’s presence fulfilled a long-planned collaboration between NASA and ISRO, building on a pledge made by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The Ax-4 mission is a powerful demonstration of what’s possible through commercial space,” said Tejpaul Bhatia, CEO of Axiom Space. “By enabling astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to carry out scientific research aboard the space station, we are supporting these nations in their contributions to human spaceflight.”
During their time aboard the orbiting lab, the Ax-4 astronauts conducted over 60 scientific investigations across fields including life sciences, materials science, Earth observation, and technology development. Five of these studies were joint efforts between NASA and ISRO. The mission also included educational outreach, with the crew participating in more than 20 public events targeting students, researchers, and aspiring space professionals across 31 countries.
Ax-4 is part of Axiom Space’s larger strategy to increase access to space and lay the groundwork for Axiom Station, the company’s planned commercial successor to the ISS.
