Axiom-4
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4) is a
private spaceflight Private spaceflight is any spaceflight development that is not conducted by a government agency, such as NASA or ESA. During the early decades of the Space Age, the government space agencies of the Soviet Union and United States pionee ...
to the
International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
(ISS) operated by
Axiom Space Axiom Space, Inc., also known as Axiom Space, is an American privately funded space infrastructure developer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 2016 by former CEO Michael T. Suffredini and Kam Ghaffarian, the company first flew a spa ...
in partnership with
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...
and
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
. It used SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon 9 Block 5 is a Reusable launch system#Partial reusable launch systems, partially reusable, human-rating certification, human-rated, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. I ...
rocket to place into low Earth orbit. This is the maiden flight of the C213 spacecraft ''Grace'', the fifth and final Crew Dragon to be built. The flight was scheduled to lift off from
Launch Complex 39A Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is the first of Launch Complex 39's three launch pads, located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The pad, along with Launch Complex 39B, was built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V lau ...
at the
Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...
on June 11, 2025, but it was scrubbed due to a liquid oxygen leak. Due to an unrelated leak in the ''Zvezda'' ISS module, the next attempt was postponed by two weeks until successful liftoff on June 25, 2025 at 06:31:52
UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
(2:31:52am EDT).


Crew

The crew of four consists of commander
Peggy Whitson Peggy Annette Whitson (born February 9, 1960) is an American biochemistry researcher, and astronaut working for Axiom Space. She retired from NASA in 2018, after serving as Chief Astronaut. Over all her missions, Whitson accumulated a total of ...
, an Axiom employee and former NASA astronaut; pilot
Shubhanshu Shukla Indian Air Force ranks and insignia, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is an Indian Air Force test pilot, engineer and ISRO astronaut. He is the first of List of Indian astronauts#ISRO astronaut candidates for Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, f ...
of the
Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national List of government space agencies, space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), ...
; and mission specialists
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, née Uznański (Polish: ; born 12 April 1984 in Łódź) is a Polish engineer working at the European Space Agency (ESA) as a project astronaut since 2023, and was formerly employed at CERN. Early life and educat ...
, a
European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...
project astronaut from
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, and
Tibor Kapu Tibor Kapu () (born 5 November 1991) is a Hungarian mechanical engineer and astronaut. He is flying to the International Space Station as a mission specialist on the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) mission which launched 25 June 2025, with Kapu becoming ...
representing the
Hungarian Space Office The Hungarian Space Research Office (HSO; ) is the official Government of Hungary agency responsible for the civilian list of space agencies, space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research, which was integrated in the Ministry of Nati ...
. Shubhanshu Shukla is the first member of India's astronaut corps to fly to space. The mission represents the first government-sponsored human spaceflight in over 40 years, and the second overall, for India, Hungary, and Poland, with each country having previously participated in a Soviet-era
Interkosmos Interkosmos () was a Soviet space program, designed to help the Soviet Union's allies with Human spaceflight, crewed and Uncrewed spacecraft, uncrewed space missions. The program was formed in April 1967 in Moscow. All members of the program fr ...
mission. While the Interkosmos missions docked at
Salyut 6 Salyut 6 () was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth station of the Salyut programme, and alternatively known DOS-5 as it was the fifth of the Durable Orbital Station series of civilian space stations. It was launched on 29 September 19 ...
or
Salyut 7 Salyut 7 (), also known as DOS-6 (Durable Orbital Station 6) was a space station in low Earth orbit from April 1982 to February 1991. It was first crewed in May 1982 with two crew via Soyuz T-5, and last visited in June 1986, by Soyuz T-15. Va ...
, this is the first government-sponsored mission for those countries to the ISS.


Gaganyaan

Ax‑4 represents a milestone for
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
's Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, integrating with
ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
's
Gaganyaan Gaganyaan (,, from Sanskrit: , "celestial" and , "craft, vehicle") is an Indian List of crewed spacecraft, crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The spacecraft is being des ...
initiative. While
Gaganyaan Gaganyaan (,, from Sanskrit: , "celestial" and , "craft, vehicle") is an Indian List of crewed spacecraft, crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The spacecraft is being des ...
remains
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
's independent crewed program, Ax‑4 provides the first opportunity for an Indian astronaut
Shubhanshu Shukla Indian Air Force ranks and insignia, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is an Indian Air Force test pilot, engineer and ISRO astronaut. He is the first of List of Indian astronauts#ISRO astronaut candidates for Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, f ...
—to fly on a commercial mission to the
ISS The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), ...
. Shukla will conduct experiments developed by
ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
and Indian institutions, including studies of cognitive effects of screen use, microbial adaptation,
muscle atrophy Muscle atrophy is the loss of skeletal muscle mass. It can be caused by immobility, aging, malnutrition, medications, or a wide range of injuries or diseases that impact the musculoskeletal or nervous system. Muscle atrophy leads to muscle weakne ...
, and crop resilience in
microgravity Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity. Weight is a measurement of the fo ...
.


Experiments

The experiments are co-ordinated by
Indian Space Research Organization The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
(ISRO). * Space Microalgae (
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) was established as a project of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 1983. The Organisation has three Component laboratories with over 45 ongo ...
(ICGEB) & National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), India)— Impact of
Microgravity Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity. Weight is a measurement of the fo ...
and
Radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...
in ISS on Edible
Microalgae Microalgae or microphytes are microscopic scale, microscopic algae invisible to the naked eye. They are phytoplankton typically found in freshwater and marine life, marine systems, living in both the water column and sediment. They are unicellul ...
. * Myogenesis (Institute of Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (InStem), India) — Effect of metabolic supplements on muscle regeneration under microgravity. * Sprouts (
University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad (UASD) is a state agriculture university established by the Government of Karnataka which imparts education, research and extension activities in the fields of agriculture, forestry, food science, a ...
& Indian Institute of Technology, Dharwad) — Sprouting Salad Seeds in Space: Relevance to Crew Nutrition. * Voyager Tardigrade (
Indian Institute of Science The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a Public university, public, Deemed university, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The ...
) — Survival, revival, reproduction, and transcriptome of the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp. BLR strain in space. * Voyager Displays (
Indian Institute of Science The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a Public university, public, Deemed university, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The ...
) — Analyzing Human Interaction with Electronic Displays in Microgravity. The study will compare performance of on board and ground crews with respect to
ISO The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Me ...
9241 pointing task, Spatial 2-back task, Perceived Stress and
WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...
Mental Well Being tests. * Cyanobacteria in Microgravity (
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) was established as a project of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 1983. The Organisation has three Component laboratories with over 45 ongo ...
(ICGEB)) — Comparative growth and proteomics responses of
cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) color, which forms the basis of cyanobacteri ...
on urea and nitrate in microgravity. * Food Crop Seeds in Microgravity (
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) is a government-aided institute and deemed university for the study and research of space science in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. IIST was set up in 2007 by the Indian Space Resear ...
&
Kerala Agricultural University Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) is a State university (India), state university for agricultural education, recognised as a State Agricultural University by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It is situated in Vellanikkara ...
) — Impact of Microgravity on Growth and Yield Parameters in Food Crop Seeds.


HUNOR

Ax‑4 also carries
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
's first astronaut since the fall of the Soviet Union. Although Hungary is also part of the ESA, the HUNOR (short for HUNgarian to ORbit) mission was developed by the
Hungarian Space Office The Hungarian Space Research Office (HSO; ) is the official Government of Hungary agency responsible for the civilian list of space agencies, space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research, which was integrated in the Ministry of Nati ...
(HSO) completely independent of ESA. HUNOR was first announced in 2021 and in July 2022 the Hungarian foreign ministry signed a preliminary deal with Axiom for the flight, which was finalized in September 2023.
Tibor Kapu Tibor Kapu () (born 5 November 1991) is a Hungarian mechanical engineer and astronaut. He is flying to the International Space Station as a mission specialist on the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) mission which launched 25 June 2025, with Kapu becoming ...
was selected from 247 applicants to fly on the mission, supported by backup astronaut
Gyula Cserényi The Hungarian Space Research Office (HSO; ) is the official Government of Hungary agency responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research, which was integrated in the Ministry of National Development in 2018 ...
. Kapu is a
mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...
and recreational
skydiver Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...
, Cserényi is an
electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
and amateur
steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...
racer. Both completed their NASA training in April 2025. The HUNOR mission has its own patch, separate from the Axiom Mission 4 patch, depicting the
Csodaszarvas Hungarian mythology includes the myths, legends, folk tales, fairy tales and gods of the Hungarians. Sources of knowledge Much of Magyar mythology is believed to be lost. However, in the last hundred years scholars of the history of Hungarian ...
and four stars representing the final astronaut candidates.


Ignis

For Poland, Ax‑4 is the first crewed mission since 1978. The
Polish Space Agency The Polish Space Agency (POLSA; Polish language, Polish: ''Polska Agencja Kosmiczna'', PAK) is the List of government space agencies, space agency of Poland, administered by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (Poland), Ministry o ...
(POLSA) and the
European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...
(ESA) have partnered on the Ignis mission for astronaut
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, née Uznański (Polish: ; born 12 April 1984 in Łódź) is a Polish engineer working at the European Space Agency (ESA) as a project astronaut since 2023, and was formerly employed at CERN. Early life and educat ...
. He is the second
ESA astronaut The European Astronaut Corps is a unit of the European Space Agency (ESA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members on U.S. and Russian space missions. The corps has 13 active members, able to serve on the International Space St ...
to fly on a commercial human spaceflight mission. His payload suite includes experiments in technology and life sciences.


Mission patch

The Ignis mission has its own patch, separate from the Axiom Mission 4 patch, depicting an eagle in the Polish colors whose wings trace the contours of the Orla Perć mountain range and a stylized depiction of the
Scutum The ''scutum'' (; :''scuta'') was a type of shield used among Italic peoples in antiquity, most notably by the army of ancient Rome starting about the fourth century BC. The Romans adopted it when they switched from the military formation of ...
constellation (a tribute to
Johannes Hevelius Johannes Hevelius Some sources refer to Hevelius as Polish: * * * * * * * Some sources refer to Hevelius as German: * * * * *of the Royal Society * (in German also known as ''Hevel''; ; – 28 January 1687) was a councillor and mayor of Danz ...
who named the constellation) over the mission's name, Ignis, the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
word for fire.


Training

Before the mission,
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, née Uznański (Polish: ; born 12 April 1984 in Łódź) is a Polish engineer working at the European Space Agency (ESA) as a project astronaut since 2023, and was formerly employed at CERN. Early life and educat ...
has trained at facilities in Europe, Japan, and the United States. At the
European Astronaut Centre The European Astronaut Centre (EAC) (German: Europäisches Astronautenzentrum, French: Centre des astronautes européens), is an establishment of the European Space Agency and home of the European Astronaut Corps. It is near to Cologne, Germany, ...
in
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, he focused on the experiments he will perform and on ESA’s
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
laboratory module. At
JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into o ...
’s
Tsukuba Space Center The Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC) also known by its radio Call sign, callsign Tsukuba, is the operations facility and headquarters for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) located in Tsukuba Science City in Ibaraki Prefecture. The facil ...
in Japan, his training covered the operation of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibō. In the United States, he trained at various NASA facilities, as well as at facilities of
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...
and
Axiom Space Axiom Space, Inc., also known as Axiom Space, is an American privately funded space infrastructure developer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 2016 by former CEO Michael T. Suffredini and Kam Ghaffarian, the company first flew a spa ...
. His preparation also included parabolic flights and outdoor survival training.


Experiments

* AstroMentalHealth (
University of Silesia The University of Silesia in Katowice () is an autonomous state-run university in Katowice, Silesia Province, Poland. The university offers higher education and research facilities. It offers undergraduate, masters, and PhD degree programs, ...
) — impact of isolation, technology, and limited contact with nature on astronauts' mental health * AstroPerformance (Mollis Textus) (Smarter Diagnostics) — studying the impact of spaceflight on the soft tissues of the
musculoskeletal system The human musculoskeletal system (also known as the human locomotor system, and previously the activity system) is an organ system that gives humans the ability to move using their Muscular system, muscular and Human skeleton, skeletal systems. ...
* EEG Neurofeedback (Academy of Physical Education and Sport in
Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
) —
electroencephalography Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The biosignal, bio signals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in ...
for supporting astronauts' mental resilience and focus * Human Gut Microbiota (
Military University of Technology The Military University of Technology () is Poland's civil-military technological academic institution, located in Warsaw's Bemowo district. It was established in 1951. The University's rector-commander is Brig. Gen. Przemysław Wachulak. The ...
) — study of changes in the community of microorganisms in the digestive system during spaceflight * Immune Multiomics (
Military University of Technology The Military University of Technology () is Poland's civil-military technological academic institution, located in Warsaw's Bemowo district. It was established in 1951. The University's rector-commander is Brig. Gen. Przemysław Wachulak. The ...
) — effects of the space environment on
gene expression Gene expression is the process (including its Regulation of gene expression, regulation) by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product that enables it to produce end products, proteins or non-coding RNA, ...
and
DNA methylation DNA methylation is a biological process by which methyl groups are added to the DNA molecule. Methylation can change the activity of a DNA segment without changing the sequence. When located in a gene promoter (genetics), promoter, DNA methylati ...
in blood mononuclear cells * Leopard Data Processing Unit (
KP Labs KP Labs is a Polish Private Space company based in Gliwice that specializes in data processing that was founded in 2016 by students of the Silesian University of Technology who wished to continue to peruse satellite development after graduation. ...
) — demonstrating AI‑based data processing in orbit to reduce ground infrastructure requirements * MXene in LEO (
AGH University of Krakow AGH University of Krakow, (abbreviated as ''AGH University''; formerly: AGH University of Science and Technology or ''AGH UST'') is a public university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1913, its inauguration took place in 1919. The university foc ...
) — stability of MXene-type
nanomaterials Nanomaterials describe, in principle, chemical substances or materials of which a single unit is sized (in at least one dimension) between 1 and 100 nm (the usual definition of nanoscale). Nanomaterials research takes a materials science ...
in space conditions and their use in
wearable devices Wearable technology is any technology that is designed to be used while worn. Common types of wearable technology include smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smartglasses. Wearable electronic devices are often close to or on the surface of the s ...
* PhotonGrav (Cortivision) — testing
functional near-infrared spectroscopy Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an optical brain monitoring technique which uses near-infrared spectroscopy for the purpose of functional neuroimaging. Using fNIRS, brain activity is measured by using near-infrared light to estima ...
-based brain-computer interface * RadMon-on-ISS (SigmaLabs) — scalable radiation detectors * Space Volcanic Algae (Extremo Technologies) — survival and adaptation of
extremophilic An extremophile () is an organism that is able to live (or in some cases thrive) in extreme environments, i.e., environments with conditions approaching or stretching the limits of what known life can adapt to, such as extreme temperature, pres ...
volcanic
microalgae Microalgae or microphytes are microscopic scale, microscopic algae invisible to the naked eye. They are phytoplankton typically found in freshwater and marine life, marine systems, living in both the water column and sediment. They are unicellul ...
in space conditions * Stability of Drugs (
Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences (, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of distinguished scholars a ...
) — stability of polymeric drug release systems in space conditions * Wireless Acoustics (Svantek) — noise measurements in the ESA ''Columbus'' module using an acoustic monitor and a personal dosimeter * Yeast TardigradeGene (
University of Szczecin The University of Szczecin () is a public university in Szczecin, western Poland. It is the biggest university in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomerania, with 33,267 students and a staff of nearly 1,200. Faculties The university consists o ...
,
Adam Mickiewicz University Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam si ...
, and
University of Silesia The University of Silesia in Katowice () is an autonomous state-run university in Katowice, Silesia Province, Poland. The university offers higher education and research facilities. It offers undergraduate, masters, and PhD degree programs, ...
) — survival and energy state of
tardigrade Tardigrades (), known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals. They were first described by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, who called them . In 1776, th ...
-gene-infused
yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...
in space conditions


Mission

On June 10, 2025, the launch of Ax-4 was postponed after
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...
detected a
liquid oxygen Liquid oxygen, sometimes abbreviated as LOX or LOXygen, is a clear cyan liquid form of dioxygen . It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an application which is ongoing. Physical ...
leak in the
Falcon 9 rocket Falcon 9 is a partially reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on June 4, 2010, and the first commercial resupply mission to the Internat ...
during a post-static fire inspection. The mission was put on hold to allow time for necessary repairs.
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...
officially announced it was "standing down" from the launch to ensure the safety and integrity of the mission hardware. On June 12, 2025, the mission was delayed to allow the crew of the space station to investigate a new potential pressure leak. The potential leak was detected following leak repair and sealing efforts by
Russian cosmonauts This is a list of cosmonauts who have taken part in the missions of the Soviet space program and the Russian Federal Space Agency, including ethnic Russians and people of other ethnicities. Soviet and Russian cosmonauts born outside Russia are m ...
in the aft segment of the
Zvezda module ''Zvezda'', also known as the ''Zvezda'' Service Module, is a module of the International Space Station (ISS). It was the third module launched to the station, and provided all of the station's life support systems, some of which are suppl ...
, where multiple previous leaks have occurred. On June 19, 2025, NASA made the decision to stand down from a launch on June 22, 2025. The Axiom-4 crew underwent one of the longest
quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...
periods in modern
human spaceflight Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...
history. While Apollo Moon mission astronauts were isolated for three weeks and today’s standard quarantine for astronauts is typically just two weeks, the extended isolation for the Axiom-4 team significantly exceeded contemporary norms, marking an unusually prolonged pre-flight precaution. The mission launched successfully on its third attempt on June 25, 2025 at 6:31
UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
. It docked with the ISS on June 26, 2025 at 10:31 UTC for a two-week stay.


Notes


See also

* Timeline of private spaceflight *
List of European Space Agency programmes and missions The European Space Agency (ESA) operates a number of space missions, both individually and in collaborations with other space agencies such as Japanese JAXA, U.S. NASA, Chinese CNSA, as well as space agencies of ESA member states (eg. French ...
*
List of ISRO missions This is a list of ISRO, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) missions. ISRO has carried out 125 spacecraft missions, 92 launch missions and planned several missions including the Gaganyaan (crewed/robotic) and Interplanetary mission such as ...


References


External links


Ignis mission

Ignis mission (ESA)

Ignis launch kitarchived

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski: Training for the Ignis mission (ESA Explores podcast)

Algae to Fly High on the Ignis Space MissionPlants launching on Axiom-4
{{SpaceX missions and payloads 2025 in Florida 2025 in spaceflight June 2025 in the United States Axiom Space Private spaceflight SpaceX human spaceflights International Space Station Kennedy Space Center