SpaceX and Axiom will launch four astronauts, including the first in decades from India, Poland, and Hungary, to the ISS in a landmark global mission.
Forget the space race, how about some international space collaboration? Three countries will be sending government-backed astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time in over four decades.
India, Poland, and Hungary’s valiant space mission, bolstered by US leadership, will take part in what’s been stamped as the Ax-4 mission.
What is the Ax-4 mission?
This fourth Axiom mission continues the company's private astronaut program, paving the way for regular commercial trips to space.
Previous missions, which were all successful milestones, included astronauts from Saudi Arabia, Italy, Turkey, and Sweden.
On this occasion, space flyers from three different continents will set different milestones – for example Sławosz Uznański is Poland's first astronaut to go into space in 47 years.
The crew will live and work aboard the ISS, conducting science and tech demos critical for space agencies investing in research access.
Why this launch matters
What’s largely a private company partnership between Axiom (mission organizer), NASA (host and partner), and SpaceX (transport provider) means that space access is no longer focused on the superpowers. These were traditionally the USA and the USSR during the Cold War period.
The emerging space nations of India, Poland, and Hungary can work with Axiom and Space-X to fast-track human spaceflight, skipping the need for full-fledged national programs.
The launch time will be on Tuesday, June 10th, at 8:22 a.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center. The livestream will begin at 6.20 a.m. on SpaceX’s official stream – early viewers will get pre-launch commentary and interviews.
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