The International Space Station welcomed its first astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary early Thursday morning, AP News informed.
The multinational crew, ferried by SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft Grace, docked autonomously with the orbital laboratory at approximately 7:00 am BST above the North Atlantic, heralding a new chapter in commercial spaceflight and international scientific collaboration.
Commanding the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) flight is former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. This mission extends her standing record as America’s most experienced astronaut, adding to her 665 cumulative days in space.
Alongside Whitson are pioneering representatives from their homelands: Indian Air Force pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (mission pilot), Hungarian mechanical engineer Tibor Kapu, and Polish radiation expert Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (both mission specialists). Their arrival marks not merely personal achievement but national milestones, the first ISS visits for their countries and their nations’ return to human spaceflight since the 1980s under Soviet partnerships.
NASA’s Mission Control declared from Houston moments after docking:
It’s an honour to have you join our outpost of international cooperation and exploration.
The warmth continued inside the station as the new arrivals shared celebratory embraces and toasted with drink pouches alongside the seven permanent crew members, creating an unprecedented gathering representing six nations: the United States, Russia, Japan, India, Poland, and Hungary.
Whitson remarked that it was “so great to be here finally” after a “long quarantine,” referencing an unexpectedly extended pre-launch isolation period starting 25 May. This precaution stemmed from multiple launch delays, including critical repairs to persistent air leaks within the Russian Zvezda module requiring a joint NASA-Roscosmos technical solution.
During their planned 14-day stay, the Ax-4 crew will undertake an intensive schedule of approximately 60 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations. These investigations, contributed by researchers across 31 countries, span microgravity’s effects on human physiology, advanced materials science, Earth observation, and biological processes. Studies include assessing joint health via ultrasound post-spaceflight, cultivating microalgae, analysing bone loss mitigation, and deploying a scalable radiation monitor.
As the astronauts conduct their pioneering research, their presence symbolises both a return to spacefaring heritage for their nations and a tangible step towards a diversified, commercially driven future in Earth orbit.
