By BlueShift | 2025-07-10

Astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary part of a US commercial mission are set to stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for longer than the mission's originally planned two weeks.

Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, lifted off early June 25 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a brand-new SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule riding a Falcon 9 rocket.

Onboard were pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India; mission specialists Slawosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary; and Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, a former NASA astronaut now with Axiom Space, which organizes private spaceflights.

The crew docked at the ISS after a 28-hour journey.

The mission was once scheduled to return to Earth on July 10. However, officials extended the mission. They now expect the crew to return no earlier than July 14, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

The departure schedule is largely dependent on weather at the spacecraft's splashdown site in the Pacific Ocean, space.com reported.

History-making

Ax-4 is the fourth Axiom mission since 2022, marrying public spaceflight and private spaceflight.

The Texas startup sends astronauts sponsored by private companies and foreign governments into space, making space-based research more accessible for entities that otherwise may lack the wherewithal to launch and operate a full mission.

The mission is history-making, marking a return to human spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary after more than 40 years.

Kapu is part of the Hungarian to Orbit program, which aimed to put a Hungarian astronaut into space to conduct research.

Uznański-Wiśniewski, a Polish astronaut assigned to the ESA, is conducting research on the effects of radiation on chips in orbit during his time aboard the ISS.

Both Kapu and Uznański-Wiśniewski are mission specialists.

Meanwhile, Shukla is a pilot in the Indian air force, and his participation serves as a precursor to India's own anticipated first crewed mission of the Gaganyaan orbital spacecraft, slated for 2027.

The crew's leader is a record-setting astronaut. Whitson retired from NASA in 2018 after serving as NASA's first female chief astronaut and the first woman ever to command an ISS expedition.

Potential breakthroughs

During the mission, the crew are conducting an array of experiments, including cutting-edge research in health sciences, agriculture, technology and microbiology.

The mission is to set a record for the most research activities conducted by an Axiom Space mission.

The research covers 60 scientific studies representing 31 countries. They cover topics like muscle regeneration, the germination and growth of seeds, the growth of microalgae, the survival of tiny aquatic organisms and spaceflight's alteration of human interaction with electronic displays -- and how each of these is affected by microgravity.

For example, Kapu's research ranges from microbiome changes and cognitive function in microgravity to radiation exposure and next-generation propulsion materials.

Meanwhile, Uznański-Wiśniewski is conducting a technology demonstration using the Rad Nano Dosimeter, a miniature device designed to be continuously worn to monitor a body's radiation exposure, carbon dioxide levels and the effects of magnetic fields, as well as the effects of radiation on chips in orbit, among other topics.

The experiments "could transform the future of human space exploration and life on Earth, with potential breakthroughs in areas such as diabetes management, innovative cancer treatments, and enhanced monitoring of human health and performance," according to the Ax-4 website.

Beyond hard science, Ax-4 astronauts are filming and posting educational videos, hoping to broaden the accessibility of space related research and education.