Axiom Mission 4

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Axiom Mission 4
SpaceX Crew Dragon (cropped).jpg
Artists' impression of a Crew Dragon approaching the forward port of Harmony on the ISS.
NamesAx-4
Mission type Private spaceflight to the ISS
Operator
Mission duration14–21 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftCrew Dragon  C213
Spacecraft type Crew Dragon
ManufacturerSpaceX
Crew
Crew size4
Members
Start of mission
Launch dateNET May 2025 [1]
Rocket Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site Kennedy, LC‑39A or Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40
Contractor SpaceX
End of mission
Recovered by MV Megan or MV Shannon
Landing site Pacific Ocean (planned)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit
Regime Low Earth orbit
Docking with ISS
Docking port Harmony forward or zenith
Ax-4 Mission Patch.svg

Axiom Mission 4 (or Ax-4) is a private spaceflight to the International Space Station. The flight will launch no earlier than May 2025 and last about 16 days. [1] It will be operated by Axiom Space and use a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. [2]

Contents

The mission will launch from either the Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s SLC-40 launch facilities in Florida. It will use a Falcon 9 rocket to place the Crew Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit (LEO). The mission will be the maiden flight of Crew Dragon  C213, the fifth and potentially final Crew Dragon spacecraft. [3] [4] The capsule is still unnamed, traditionally the first crew to fly on it names it.

The flight is organized in collaboration with NASA and will be the fourth flight of Axiom Space after Axiom Mission 1, Axiom Mission 2, and Axiom Mission 3. [5]

Ignis

The Ingis mission patch Ingis Mission Patch.jpg
The Ingis mission patch

Axiom Mission 4 will be the Poland's first manned mission to space since the fall of communism, as such POLSA and the ESA have created a specialized stand-alone technological and scientific mission for the Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski named Ignis after the Latin word for fire. As part of Ignis Axiom Mission 4 will also carry a suite of experiments developed by Polish scientists and engineers, showcasing Poland’s contributions to international space research. [6] [7] [8]

One of the payloads of the mission is a KP Labs Leopard Data Processing Unit an AI data processor to demonstrate how AI can process data in space thus making probes smaller and more efficient, as well as reducing the amount of ground infrastructure for space missions. [9]

The Ingis mission has a specialized 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 with a stylized depiction of the Scutum constellation, a tribute to Johannes Hevelius over the missions name, with the 'i' being a depiction of the ISS. [10]

Crew

The flight crew will include veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu. [11]

Shubhanshu Shukla will be the first of India's astronaut corps to fly to space, gaining experience for India's own crewed spaceflight program.

Prime crew
Position [12] Astronaut
Commander Flag of the United States.svg Peggy Whitson, Axiom Space
Fifth spaceflight
Pilot Flag of India.svg Shubhanshu Shukla, ISRO
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1 Flag of Poland.svg Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, ESA/POLSA
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2 Flag of Hungary.svg Tibor Kapu, Hungary/ESA/HSO
First spaceflight
Backup crew
Position Astronaut
Commander Flag of the United States.svg  /  Flag of Spain.svg Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space
Pilot Flag of India.svg Prasanth Nair, ISRO
Mission Specialist 2 Flag of Hungary.svg Gyula Cserényi, Hungary

References

  1. 1 2 "Polak poleci w Kosmos. Podano datę misji". www.rmf24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  2. ↑ Josh Dinner (4 August 2023). "NASA and Axiom Space sign-on for 4th private astronaut mission to space station". Space.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Foust, Jeff (19 November 2022). "SpaceX to launch last new cargo Dragon spacecraft". SpaceNews. Retrieved 18 February 2023. Walker revealed at the briefing SpaceX plans to build a fifth and likely final Crew Dragon.
  4. ↑ Berger, Eric (6 February 2025). "NASA will swap Dragon spacecraft on the ground to return Butch and Suni sooner". Ars Technica. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "NASA Selects Axiom Space for Another Private Space Mission in 2024 - NASA" . Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  6. ↑ "First Polish mission to International Space Station to launch in spring 2025". notesfrompoland. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Polish mission to the International Space Station has received its official name – Ignis". researchinpoland.org. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  8. ↑ ""Ignis" Mission: Poland's Historic Leap into Space". gov.pl . Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "KP Labs Announces LeopardISS Experiment to Join the Polish Mission on the International Space Station". spaceagency. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  10. ↑ "N° 68–2024: ESA and Poland reveal 'Ignis' as name of Polish mission to International Space Station". European Space Agency. 2 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  11. ↑ Foust, Jeff (5 August 2024). "Hungary and Poland to join India on Ax-4". SpaceNews . Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  12. ↑ "Axiom Mission 4 to ISS will include India, Poland, Hungary". Axiom Space (Press release). 5 August 2024. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
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