A multinational crew comprising astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary departed the International Space Station early Monday aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, concluding a landmark 18-day mission organised by private space company Axiom Space, according to Reuters.
The capsule, named “Grace” by its crew, undocked from the orbital laboratory at 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 GMT) while orbiting approximately 260 miles (418 km) over India’s east coast. Live footage showed the helmeted astronauts strapped into their white-and-black flightsuits before separation.
Led by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew includes Shubhanshu Shukla (39) of India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (41) of Poland, and Tibor Kapu (33) of Hungary. During their stay, the quartet conducted dozens of microgravity research experiments.
The mission marks a historic milestone: India, Poland and Hungary celebrated their first human spaceflights in over four decades and their inaugural government-sponsored astronauts to the ISS.
Whitson, 65, extended her record as America’s most experienced astronaut, previously holding 675 days in space, during this fourth spaceflight command. Now Axiom’s director of human spaceflight, she became NASA’s first female chief astronaut and first woman to command the ISS during her prior career. The newly commissioned “Grace” capsule, part of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon fleet, launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre on 25 June.
The mission represents Axiom’s fourth private ISS flight since 2022 and SpaceX’s 18th crewed spaceflight since 2020. Houston-based Axiom, co-founded by NASA’s former ISS programme manager, aims to deploy a commercial space station by 2030 as the ISS nears retirement.
The Crew Dragon is scheduled for a 22-hour return flight, culminating in a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California around 5:30 a.m. EDT (0930 GMT) on Tuesday.
This mission underscores the expanding role of commercial entities in Low-Earth orbit access, particularly for nations without independent launch capabilities. As Axiom develops its successor station, such partnerships may redefine global participation in space exploration.
