Axiom Mission 4 (AxâÂÂ4) was a private crewed spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) operated by Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX and NASA. The mission launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, which placed the spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Ax-4 was the first mission to fly aboard the Crew Dragon capsule 'Grace' (C213), which is the fifth and final Dragon capsule manufactured.
The launch was originally scheduled for June 11, 2025 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, but was scrubbed for a liquid oxygen leak. A separate leak in the ISS's Zvezda module led to an additional two week launch delay. The mission was eventually launched on June 25, 2025 at 06:31:53UTC (2:31:53a.m.EDT) for an 18-day stay at the ISS before undocking and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on July 15, 2025 at 09:31:41UTC (2:31:41amPDT).
The four-person crew included commander Peggy Whitson, an Axiom Space employee and former NASA astronaut; pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO); and mission specialists Sà Âawosz Uznaà Âski-Wià Âniewski, a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut from Poland, and Tibor Kapu, representing the Hungarian Space Office.
The mission marked the first government-sponsored human spaceflight in over 40 years, and only the second overall, for India, Hungary, and Poland. Each of these countries previously flew one astronaut as part of the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program. While those earlier missions docked with Salyut 6 or Salyut 7, Ax-4 was the first government-sponsored mission from any of the three nations to reach the ISS. Among the crew, Shubhanshu Shukla was the first member of India's astronaut corps to fly in space.
AxâÂÂ4 represented a milestone for the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, integrating with ISRO's Gaganyaan initiative. While Gaganyaan remained India's independent crewed program, AxâÂÂ4 provided the first opportunity for an Indian astronautâÂÂShubhanshu ShuklaâÂÂto fly on a commercial mission to the ISS. Shukla conducted experiments developed by ISRO and Indian institutions, including studies of cognitive effects of screen use, microbial adaptation, muscle atrophy, and crop resilience in microgravity.
According to ISRO, the mission provided practical experience in the intricacies of crew-ground coordination, real-time health telemetry, medical and psychological preparation, international crew integration, and experiment execution. For the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, it will have a direct impact on astronaut preparedness, safety validation, and mission planning.
The experiments are co-ordinated by ISRO.
AxâÂÂ4 also carried Tibor Kapu, Hungary's second astronaut after Bertalan Farkas. Tibor Kapu was the first astronaut since the fall of the Soviet Union and the first Hungarian astronaut to board the International Space Station. Although Hungary is also part of the ESA, the HUNOR (short for HUNgarian to ORbit) mission was developed by the Hungarian Space Office (HSO) completely independent of ESA. HUNOR was first announced in 2021 and in July 2022 the Hungarian foreign ministry signed a preliminary deal with Axiom for the flight, which was finalized in September 2023. Tibor Kapu was selected from 247 applicants to fly on the mission, supported by backup astronaut Gyula Cserényi. Kapu is a mechanical engineer and recreational skydiver, Cserényi is an electrical engineer and amateur steeplechase racer. Both completed their NASA training in April 2025. The HUNOR mission had its own patch, separate from the Axiom Mission 4 patch, depicting the Csodaszarvas and four stars representing the final astronaut candidates.
For Poland, AxâÂÂ4 was the first crewed mission since 1978. The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have partnered on the Ignis mission for astronaut Sà Âawosz Uznaà Âski-Wià Âniewski. He was the second ESA astronaut to fly on a commercial human spaceflight mission. His payload suite included experiments in technology and life sciences.
The Ignis mission had its own patch, separate from the Axiom Mission 4 patch, depicting an eagle in the Polish colors whose wings trace the contours of the Orla PerÃÂ mountain range and a stylized depiction of the Scutum constellation (a tribute to Johannes Hevelius who named the constellation) over the mission's name, Ignis, the Latin word for fire.
Before the mission, Sà Âawosz Uznaà Âski-Wià Âniewski has trained at facilities in Europe, Japan, and the United States. At the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, he focused on the experiments he will perform and on ESA's Columbus laboratory module. At JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center in Japan, his training covered the operation of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibà Â. In the United States, he trained at various NASA facilities, as well as at facilities of SpaceX and Axiom Space. His preparation also included parabolic flights and outdoor survival training.
On June 10, 2025, the launch of Ax-4 was postponed after SpaceX detected a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon 9 rocket during a post-static fire inspection. The mission was put on hold to allow time for necessary repairs. SpaceX officially announced it was "standing down" from the launch to ensure the safety and integrity of the mission hardware.
On June 12, 2025, the mission was delayed to allow the crew of the space station to investigate a new potential pressure leak. The potential leak was detected following leak repair and sealing efforts by Russian cosmonauts in the aft segment of the Zvezda module, where multiple previous leaks have occurred. On June 19, 2025, NASA made the decision to stand down from a launch on June 22, 2025.
Because of the multiple stand downs in close succession, Axiom-4 crew remained in quarantine for nearly four weeks, one of the longest periods in modern human spaceflight history. The standard quarantine for astronauts is typically just two weeks, although the Apollo Moon mission astronauts were isolated for three weeks.
The mission launched successfully on its third attempt on June 25, 2025 at 06:31:53UTC (2:31:52a.m.EDT). Grace docked with the ISS on June 26, 2025, at 10:31:47UTC for a two-week stay.
After 18 days at the ISS, Grace undocked on July 14, 2025, 11:15UTC, commencing a 22-hour return back to Earth. The spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on July 15, 2025 at 09:31:36UTC (2:31:41amPDT).