Axiom-4: Rekindling Spaceflight Dreams for India, Poland, and Hungary

The Axiom-4 mission, slated for launch at 2:31 a.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, features a diverse international crew heading to the International Space Station (ISS). India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after it launches on the Falcon 9 rocket.

Led by mission commander Peggy Whitson, a veteran astronaut, the team includes ESA project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Hungarian space traveler Tibor Kapu. This mission symbolizes a monumental return to space for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each country making its first government-sponsored human spaceflight in over four decades.

Group Captain Shukla follows in the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma, India's first space traveler, by venturing onto the ISS. The Ax-4 mission will conduct 60 scientific studies involving 31 countries, underscoring the importance of international collaboration in advancing microgravity research and elevating these nations' contributions to space exploration.

(With inputs from agencies.)