Axiom Mission 4

Axiom Mission 4 (or Ax-4) is a private spaceflight to the International Space Station. The flight will launch no earlier than May 2025 and last about 16 days.^[1] It will be operated by Axiom Space and use a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.^[2]

Axiom Mission 4

Artists' impression of a Crew Dragon approaching the forward port of Harmony on the ISS.
Names	Ax-4
Mission type	Private spaceflight to the ISS
Operator	Axiom Space SpaceX
Mission duration	14–21 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Crew Dragon C213
Spacecraft type	Crew Dragon
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Crew
Crew size	4
Members	Peggy Whitson Shubhanshu Shukla Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski Tibor Kapu
Start of mission
Launch date	NET May 2025[1]
Rocket	Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site	Kennedy, LC‑39A or Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40
Contractor	SpaceX
End of mission
Recovered by	MV Megan or MV Shannon
Landing site	Pacific Ocean (planned)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Docking with ISS
Docking port	Harmony Zenith
Top: Axiom mission patch Bottom left: Uznański-Wiśniewski's Ignis mission patch Bottom right: Kapu's Hunor mission patch Axiom Space missions ← Axiom Mission 3 Axiom Mission 5 → Crew Dragon flights ← Fram2 SpaceX Crew-11 →

The mission will launch from either the Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s SLC-40 launch facilities in Florida. It will use a Falcon 9 rocket to place the Crew Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit (LEO). The mission will be the maiden flight of Crew Dragon C213, the fifth and potentially final Crew Dragon spacecraft.^[3][4] The capsule is still unnamed, traditionally the first crew to fly on it names it.

The flight is organized in collaboration with NASA and will be the fourth flight of Axiom Space after Axiom Mission 1, Axiom Mission 2, and Axiom Mission 3.^[5]

Gaganyaan

Axiom Mission 4 will mark a significant milestone for India's human spaceflight ambitions as it integrates with the nation's Gaganyaan program. While Gaganyaan remains India's independent human spaceflight initiative under ISRO, the Ax-4 mission provides an opportunity for Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to participate in an international commercial spaceflight, further strengthening India’s presence in human space exploration and serves as a crucial preparatory step for India's Gaganyaan program, marking India's first human spaceflight to the International Space Station and strengthening its capabilities for future long-duration space missions.^[6]

For this mission, Shubhanshu Shukla will carry out a series of scientific and technological experiments developed by ISRO and Indian research institutions, showcasing India's contributions to space technology and life sciences in microgravity. The ISRO-led research, in collaboration with NASA and ESA, advances microgravity studies on the ISS, focusing on biological processes and long-duration spaceflight challenges. Key experiments analyze cognitive effects of screen use, microbial growth and adaptation, muscle atrophy mechanisms, and crop seed resilience in space, driving innovations in space health, biotechnology, and life-support systems.^[7]

Ignis

Axiom Mission 4 will be the Poland's first manned mission to space since the fall of communism, as such POLSA and the ESA have created a specialized stand-alone technological and scientific mission for the Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski named Ignis after the Latin word for fire. As part of Ignis Axiom Mission 4 will also carry a suite of experiments developed by Polish scientists and engineers, showcasing Poland’s contributions to international space research.^[8][9][10]

One of the payloads of the mission is a KP Labs Leopard Data Processing Unit an AI data processor to demonstrate how AI can process data in space thus making probes smaller and more efficient, as well as reducing the amount of ground infrastructure for space missions.^[11]

The Ignis mission has a specialized patch, separate from the Axiom Mission 4 patch, depicting an eagle in the Polish colors whose wings trace the contours of the Orla Perć mountain range with a stylized depiction of the Scutum constellation, a tribute to Johannes Hevelius over the missions name, with the 'i' being a depiction of the ISS.^[12]

HUNOR

Ax-4 will also be Hungary's first manned mission to space since the fall of the Soviet Union. Unlike POLSA, the Hungarian Space Office (HSO) developed their astronaut program completely independent of the ESA.^[13] The program, named HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) was started in 2021, and by July 2022 the Hungarian foreign ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with Axiom to develop the program.^[13] In September 2023 it was announced that the two parties signed a spaceflight framework agreement to facilitate the launch of a Hungarian astronaut on-board an Axiom mission.^[13]

On August 5, 2024, it was announced that Tibor Kapu would be said astronaut launched on-board Ax-4.^[13] Kapu, a recreational skydiver with a master of mechanical engineering, was selected out of a pool of 247 applicants to be Hungary's astronaut and has undergone rigorous training.^[14] Gyula Cserényi, an electrical engineer and amateur steeplechase racer was selected as the backup and the second active Hungarian astronaut.^[15]

The HUNOR mission also has its own patch depicting the Csodaszarvas, alongside four stars for the four finalists for the program in March 2023.

Crew

The flight crew will include veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu.^[16]

Shubhanshu Shukla will be the first of India's astronaut corps to fly to space.

Prime crew

Position[17]	Astronaut
Commander	Peggy Whitson, Axiom Space Fifth spaceflight
Pilot	Shubhanshu Shukla, ISRO First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, ESA/POLSA First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2	Tibor Kapu, HSO First spaceflight

Backup crew

Position	Astronaut
Commander	/  Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space
Pilot	Prasanth Nair, ISRO
Mission Specialist 2	Gyula Cserényi, HSO