June 25, 2025

— Astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary have embarked on a two-week science research mission, marking a "return to human spaceflight" for each of their countries after more than 40 years.

Shubhanshu "Shuks" Shukla with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Sławosz "Suave" Uznański-Wiśniewski with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Tibor Kapu of the Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut program launched on Wednesday (June 25) with former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson on Axiom Space's fourth commercial mission to the International Space Station.

The four Ax-4 crewmates are aboard the inaugural flight of SpaceX's fifth and, as planned now, last to be built Crew Dragon spacecraft, "Grace." The capsule lifted off at 2:31 a.m. EDT (0631 GMT) on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"Through this commercial space opportunity, we are accelerating the national space programs in each of these three countries and creating new pathways for technological advancements," said Whitson, who is commander of the Ax-4 mission and the director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, a space services company based in Houston. "In addition, I'm sure this crew is going to be inspiring a whole new generation of young people."

Following a 9-minute climb into Earth orbit — when the crew's "zero-g indicator," a plush baby swan named "Joy" began to float — the Ax-4 began a 27-hour rendezvous with the space station. The Dragon is scheduled to dock at the space-facing port of the Harmony module at approximately 7:00 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) on Thursday.

Ax-4 Mission launch. Click to enlarge video in new pop-up window. (Axiom Space)

Once on board the station, the Ax-4 crew will be greeted by the seven astronauts and cosmonauts of Expedition 53 and then begin their own 14 days of research, conducting more than 60 experiments and technology demos representing 31 countries, including the crew members' nations, as well as Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.

"In doing so, they will set the record for the most research conducted on an Axiom Space mission to date," said Alexis DeJarnette, a spokesperson for Axiom Space.

Firsts and seconds

India and Hungary's first citizens to fly into space, Rakesh Sharma and Bertalan Farkas, respectively, lived to see their successors launch and follow in their footsteps. Mirosław Hermaszewski, the first Polish space explorer, died in 2022.

"He saw my selection, and I have a special connection with him," said Uznański-Wiśniewski, referring to Hermaszewski in reply to a question from collectSPACE during a press briefing in January. "I know he supported me a lot during my selection process. He commented live on the selection on television, and he was the first person to call me back the morning after the selection to congratulate me."

"So I really feel a big connection with him and with his spaceflight," said Uznański-Wiśniewski.

Hermaszewski's June 1978 mission was as part of the former Soviet Union's Interkosmos program, which invited representatives from allied east-European and other countries to fly to Russia's Salyut space stations. Hermaszewski's launch on Soyuz 30 established Poland as only the fourth country to see one of its citizens reach space after the USSR, United States and the former Czechoslovakia (today, Czech Republic or Czechia).

Uznański-Wiśniewski, who with Kapu is serving as Ax-4's mission specialists, has with him the Polish flag that Hermaszewski wore into space 47 years ago.

"I'm very happy to take the relay and continue the Polish involvement in human spaceflight programs. I hope I'm not the last one and this journey will be for many decades to come," he said.

Farkas launched on Russia's Soyuz 36 Interkosmos mission in May 1980, making Hungary the seventh nation to sponsor sending one of its countrymen into space.

"He has been part of the HUNOR selection and preparation," Kapu told collectSPACE. "We had a quite some long selection [and] he was there for the whole time with us, overseeing the whole basic training with the love of a grandpa, to be honest."

Kapu is flying a Hungarian flag, but also has a teddy bear that Farkas flew 45 years ago. The bear, which is modeled after a character from a Hungarian kids' TV show, is dressed in a cosmonaut's spacesuit.

"When the next Hungarian astronaut flies, this teddy bear [can go] up again, so we can make a great tradition out of it," said Kapu during a pre-launch briefing on June 4. "It does take up half of my luggage, but I'm extremely, extremely happy to fly it."

Like Farkas, Sharma was also involved from the start in the selection of India's second government-sponsored astronaut. Sharma lifted off on Soyuz T-11 on April 3, 1984. which made India the 14th nation to join the spaceflight community.

"He is kind of a mentor for me," said Shukla in reply to collectSPACE. "As far as your question of if I'm doing something or flying something from him, I would like to keep that a secret, because I intend it to be a surprise for him."

A taste from home

Beyond paying tribute to their respective country's prior space traveler, Shukla, Uznański-Wiśniewski and Kapu each have specially-prepared foods associated with their homelands.

Uznański-Wiśniewski has the first pierogi to fly into space.

"I don't know if you all know what pierogis are — let's say dough with stuffing inside, Polish dumplings — and for every Polish people, pierogis is something that you eat for Christmas, you eat with [your] families and you share with with the loved ones," he said, adding that he worked for weeks with a Polish company to come up with how to prepare and package them for flight.

"I can proudly say that we will try these pierogis on the space station and I'll try to share with the team and also the crew on the International Space Station — if we have enough," Uznański-Wiśniewski said.

Kapu has with him both sweet and spicy treats, including paprika paste, which in Hungary is called erős pista ("hot paste") or piros arany ("red gold"), as well as "space chocolate."

"We have Stühmer as a brand and a great supporter in this mission and they modified one of their traditional models of chocolate basically to comply with NASA rules. So we are extremely happy to fly that, because for us it it brings tradition and innovation together," he said.

Shukla's menu choices tapped into what described as the "very rich culinary culture" in India. He is carrying mango nectar juice, as well as Moong Dal Halwa and Gajar Ka Halwa, which are desserts made of either moong lentils or carrots.

"Some of them are my favorites and I am so happy to be able to carry them, share it with my colleagues and also the astronauts who are on the station right now," said Shukla.

Orbital order

As Ax-4's commander, Whitson will be adding to her record as the most experienced American astronaut and female space traveler in history. Before lifting off Wednesday, she had logged 675 days in space on four flights to the International Space Station, three as a NASA astronaut plus a previous flight for Axiom Space, Ax-2, in 2023.

It has been 23 years since Whitson's first launch when she became the 426th person to fly into space and the 419th to enter orbit, according to the Association of Space Explorers' (ASE) Registry of Space Travelers.

"Once we get into space, every astronaut gets assigned a traveler number — that you are such-and-such number in space and such-and-such astronaut who has entered orbit, and that information is with my commander right now, which she refuses to reveal to us," said Shukla about a week before the launch. "So I'm really excited to know what will my number be when I get into the orbit."

The late Hermaszewski was the 89th person to reach orbit and 97th to fly into space. Farkas ranked in as the 94th to circle Earth and102nd to rise above it. And Shukla's mentor, Sharma, was the 138th human in orbit and 145th to cross (at least) 50 miles (80 kilometers) altitude.

Per the ASE's registry, Shukla, Uznański-Wiśniewski and Kapu are numbers 634 through 636 in orbit and the 742nd through 744th people in space.