Falcon 9 Rocket Lifted Dragon’s Crew Of 4

NASA and Axiom Space announced that the Axiom Mission 4, Ax-4, to the International Space Station or ISS, lifted off at 2:31 am EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster. The Dragon crew module is scheduled to autonomously dock with the ISS on Thursday June 26 at approximately 7:00 am EDT.

Following stage separation sending Dragon on its way to the ISS, the Falcon first stage landed on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After completing several orbits of the Earth, the Dragon module will dock with the space-facing port of the ISS’s Harmony module.

The Ax-4 crew consists of Commander Peggy Whitson of the U.S., Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist S?awosz Uzna?ski-Wi?niewski of Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

Commander Whitson said, “This mission shows that space exploration is no longer limited to a few nations — it’s a shared effort that reflects the best of what we can achieve together. We launched a message to the world that science, exploration, and unity transcend borders. For me, returning to space is always a privilege.

“But leading this crew — representing the dreams and determination of India, Poland, and Hungary as they return to human spaceflight — that’s something truly special. We’re carrying the hopes of millions who dare to look up and imagine what’s possible. This is what the future of space looks like — bold, inclusive, and driven by purpose.”

This mission will be aboard the ISS for two weeks, during which the crew will conduct about 60 different research activities that originated in 31 countries. Axiom Space considers it a stepping stone for the company’s longer-term vision of developing the Axiom Station, which would be the world’s first commercial space station.

FMI:  www.axiomspace.com/ , www.nasa.gov/