The Ax-4 crewmembers arrived in Houston this week to commence their training with Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX.
The crew for Ax-4 includes Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Slawosz Uznanski of ESA/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The crew's flight to the ISS is pending approval by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP), which consists of representatives from NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.
"Ax-4 represents Axiom Space's continued efforts to build opportunity for countries to research, innovate, test, and engage with people around the world while in low-Earth orbit," said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space. "This mission broadens horizons for nations with ambitious goals of advancing scientific, technological, and economic pursuits. Our collaboration with ESA for a second time and the inclusion of Hungary and India underscores Axiom Space's ability to cultivate global partners, expand the scope of exploration, and open up new avenues to grow a global space economy."
The mission will focus on scientific research, technology demonstrations, and the commercialization of space. It aims to foster cooperation by sharing knowledge, resources, and opportunities with partners, establishing these nations as leaders in the space community.
"I look forward to commanding my second commercial human spaceflight mission with Axiom Space," said Peggy Whitson, Ax-4 commander. "With a culturally diverse crew, we are not only advancing scientific knowledge but also fostering international collaboration. Our previous missions set the stage. Axiom Mission 1 was the first all-private mission to the space station, Axiom Mission 2 launched the first Saudi female to space, and Axiom Mission 3 included both the first Turkish astronaut and first ESA astronaut to fly on a commercial space mission. Now, with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing even more nations to low-Earth orbit and expanding humanity's reach among the stars."
Ax-4 will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Florida, with the crew expected to spend up to 14 days on the space station.
Notably, Ax-4 will be the second Axiom Space mission to include an ESA astronaut. Marcus Wandt became ESA's first-ever project astronaut on Ax-3 and the second ESA astronaut of Swedish nationality to travel to the space station. During Ax-4, Axiom Space will send a Polish astronaut to space for the first time in over 40 years.
In July 2022, Axiom Space and Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance the Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) program. In September 2023, Axiom Space signed a spaceflight framework agreement (SFA) with the Ministry to facilitate the launch of a Hungarian astronaut.
Most recently, in July, Axiom Space signed an SFA with ISRO, marking a significant milestone toward India's goal of a joint ISRO-NASA mission on the ISS.
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Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
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