The full crew for the Axiom Space Ax-4 mission, including Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu, arrived in Houston on Monday to commence their training, as announced by the Houston-based company on its website.
On Monday, Axiom Space officially confirmed that in partnership with Hungary, Poland (with support from the European Space Agency), and India, each of these nations will send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). The mission crew will include American commander Peggy Whitson, mission specialists Tibor Kapu and Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański, as well as Indian pilot Shubhanshu Shukla.
The announcement also noted that the designated crew members are still awaiting official approval from the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel, comprising international partners involved in the ISS operations.
‘This mission broadens the horizons for nations with ambitious scientific, technological, and economic goals,’ the statement highlighted, emphasizing that the Ax-4 mission will focus heavily on scientific research, technology testing, and the commercial use of space. The mission aims to foster collaboration through the sharing of knowledge, resources, and opportunities among participating partners, thereby solidifying their leadership in the expanding space community.
The Ax-4 mission crew has been assembled through agreements with Axiom Space. A memorandum of understanding with the Hungarian government was signed in July 2022, followed by a framework agreement in September 2023 for the deployment of the Hungarian astronaut.
The Ax-4 mission will launch from Florida aboard the SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket, utilising the Dragon spacecraft, and is expected to spend 14 days aboard the ISS. The specific launch date has not yet been disclosed.
According to the HUNOR–Hungarian Astronaut Programme’s Facebook page, Tibor Kapu and the Hungarian backup astronaut, Gyula Cserényi, arrived in Houston last week.
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