PHOTOS BY Axiom SPACE
More than 40 years after anyone from Hungary, India or Poland experienced the exhilaration of spaceflight, the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle lit up the skies above Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25, 2025, heralding the return of the three nations to space for a 14-day journey that would mark their first visit to the International Space Station (ISS).
The feat was accomplished through scientific collaboration, public-private partnerships and most importantly, rigorous training with United States partners Axiom Space, NASA and SpaceX. To prepare for their historic mission, the astronauts had to undergo almost a year of training that covered subjects as varied as photography and video skills, and procedures for dealing with depressurization and fire control.
“For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time,” NASA spokeswoman Anna Schneider told Apogee. “Private astronaut missions to the space station help pave the way toward NASA’s efforts in developing a thriving low Earth orbit economy.”
Axiom operated the private mission to the ISS while SpaceX provided the launch vehicle and the space capsule. Axiom kicked off the training process with mission-specific drills, including familiarization with mission objectives and protocols. The crew then traveled to SpaceX facilities for detailed training on the Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 launch vehicle, covering systems operations, emergency procedures and mission simulations.
Concurrently, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas offered extensive training on ISS operations, including payload management, microgravity adaptation and emergency preparedness.
Axiom’s Peggy Whitson served as mission commander in her second commercial crewed spaceflight. Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and now Axiom’s director of human spaceflight, added to her record of the longest cumulative time in space by a U.S. astronaut. Prior to the flight, Whitson had racked up 675 days in space. She commanded the ISS on missions in 2007-2008 and 2017.
Whitson said the Ax-4 mission demonstrates the power of international partnership and collaboration. With the international crew, “we are not only advancing scientific knowledge but also fostering international collaboration,” she said on Axiom’s website. “Our previous missions set the stage, and with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing more nations to low Earth orbit and expanding humanity’s reach among the stars.”
India’s rising star power
Before the Ax-4 mission, India was already a rising player in space. Its Chandrayaan program included an ongoing series of space missions by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to explore the moon by utilizing a lunar orbiter, impactor, soft lander and rover spacecraft. Through its Gaganyaan program, India is developing a crewed orbital spacecraft that will be ISRO’s formative space vessel.
ISRO’s partnership with the Ax-4 mission represented a spirit of international cooperation in low Earth orbit and fostered the advancement of commercial space activities, an Axiom leader said. “India’s journey through space is filled with incredible achievements,” Matt Ondler, president of Axiom Space, said on the company’s website. “From the successful Chandrayaan missions to the ambitious Gaganyaan project, India has become a beacon of inspiration in the global space community.
“As space becomes a key arena for commercial and scientific efforts,” Ondler added, “India, with its rich history in space exploration and clear leadership in technology and entrepreneurship, will be crucial in shaping the domain and advancing humanity’s presence in space.”
The Indian astronaut selected for the mission focused on scientific research and educational outreach while on orbit. Group Capt. Shubhanshu Shukla, 39, a decorated Indian Air Force pilot, drove the Ax-4 mission and became the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS. He was tagged with the call sign Shukx as a term of endearment by fellow crew members, according to a report from the India Today website.
Shukla conducted more than 60 scientific experiments, including seven led by Indian researchers, with a special focus on understanding muscle loss in microgravity — a key concern for long missions.
The Ax-4 mission specialists were European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was the first Pole in space since 1978, while Tibor Kapu made a return trip for Hungary, which had not sent an astronaut into orbit since 1980.
Uznański-Wiśniewski, an ESA engineer, brought along the Polish flag that adorned the space suit of Polish astronaut Mirosław Hermaszewski in 1978. He also brought the Polish national dish, pierogi. Kapu, a mechanical engineer, became the third Hungarian in space following the historic 1980 flight by astronauts Bertalan Farkas and Charles Simonyi. In addition to being an astronaut and accomplished engineer, Kapu is a two-time World Junior Championship silver medalist in the logic game Tantrix.
Improving communication
The international composition of the crew influenced the training approach, which required a curriculum that integrated various communication styles while stressing respect for different cultural perspectives. Axiom officials told Apogee by email that while English was the primary language among the crew, the astronauts learned basic phrases in each other’s native languages “to build camaraderie and facilitate smoother interactions.”
The crew engaged in team-building activities that emphasized trust, cooperation and problem-solving. They also participated in simulations that replicated cross-cultural challenges. These scenarios helped them develop strategies for conflict resolution and decision-making.
Training of private astronauts sometimes can take up to 12 months, Schneider said. The Ax-4 crew began training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in August 2024 and completed its work in April 2025. The NASA portion of the training focused on space station operations, using a blend of classroom instruction, simulator exercises and team scenarios involving space station mockups. The training topics included routine operations, on-orbit maintenance, safety protocols, payload operations and emergency procedures, Schneider said.
A mission of science
More than a return to space, the Ax-4 mission also set the record for most research activity conducted during an Axiom Space mission with about 60 studies involving 31 countries, including Brazil, Hungary, India, Nigeria, Poland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. and nations across Europe. The studies will contribute to global knowledge in human research; Earth observation; and life, biological and material sciences, Axiom officials said.
Axiom Space also teamed up with research organizations and academic institutions to delve deeper into the effects of spaceflight on the human body and to explore how space-based research can improve health and medical treatments on Earth. The mission laid the groundwork for Axiom Station, the first commercial space station, which will offer a permanent platform for research, manufacturing and human spaceflight. Company officials hope to complete the station by 2028.
India, with its rich history in space exploration and clear leadership in technology and entrepreneurship, will be crucial in shaping the domain and advancing humanity’s presence in space.” ~ Matt Ondler, president of Axiom Space
One of the Ax-4 experiments could expand the field of who is allowed to become an astronaut. Axiom worked with Burjeel Holdings, a UAE-based health care provider, to conquer a novel challenge: supporting astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes during short missions. The research was designed to demonstrate accurate blood glucose monitoring, data transmission and insulin viability in microgravity. By collecting blood glucose readings, calibrating continuous glucose monitors and sharing data with medical teams on Earth, the project was designed to enable astronauts with diabetes to participate in future space missions, Axiom officials said.
Another human research project focused on understanding the impact of microgravity on the brain for long missions. Axiom partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on a neuroimaging study using high-field magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how spaceflight affects the brain’s representation of the body. The results could identify cognitive and performance risks for astronauts.
Research being led by ISRO, in collaboration with NASA and the ESA, focused on advancing microgravity research aboard the ISS to better understand biological processes. The research included the physical and cognitive impact of computer screens in microgravity, the growth metabolism and genetics of three microalgae strains in microgravity, identifying pathways of skeletal muscle dysfunction in microgravity, and the impacts of spaceflight on the germination and growth of crop seeds.
The ESA and the Polish government teamed up on several experiments, including a study of astronauts’ mental and behavioral health on the ISS, monitoring bone loss upon reentry after space missions, an examination of bone markers to predict recovery behavior, and tests to extend the shelf life of pharmaceuticals in space.
The Hungarian government contributed to more than a dozen experiments, including an examination of microgravity’s effect on cognitive function and motor skills and an exploration of the effects of spaceflight on 3D printed materials.
As more private companies enter the space arena, the idea of living and working in space seems less far-fetched. Countries are working with private space companies, and the companies are working with each other to broaden our understanding of the cosmos.
“I don’t think there’s anything that can truly prepare humans for the sights and feelings that come with circling the globe every 90 minutes,” Axiom Mission 1 pilot Larry Connor said on the company’s website. “The amount of groundbreaking research happening is really breathtaking. And this isn’t just for the United States, this is for all humanity.”