Peggy Whitson, a retired NASA astronaut, and her three crew members from India, Poland, and Hungary have successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) early Monday and commenced their journey back to Earth. The Crew Dragon capsule, operated by Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX, detached from the ISS at 7:15 AM ET.
Their mission, which lasted 18 days, involved conducting a variety of scientific experiments in microgravity. The crew members, consisting of Whitson, 65, Shubhanshu Shukla, 39, from India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, 41, from Poland, and Tibor Kapu, 33, from Hungary, are expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere after a 22-hour flight, landing in the Pacific Ocean around 5:30 AM ET on Tuesday.
Axiom-4 is significant for all four participating nations, marking the first human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary in over 40 years, and the first astronauts sent to the ISS by their respective space agencies. The mission illustrates Axiom Space’s ongoing collaboration with NASA and the development of private spaceflight capabilities, as the company moves toward launching its own space station to succeed the ISS around 2030.
Whitson, who has a record-breaking 675 days spent in space over her distinguished NASA career, has now extended her record with this latest mission. She previously made history as NASA’s first female chief astronaut and the first woman to command an ISS expedition. Now serving as Axiom’s Director of Human Spaceflight, she continues to play a critical role in advancing human space exploration.
This historic mission is not just a technical achievement; it also showcases international collaboration in space exploration, with hope for a future where more nations can participate in scientific research in space. As commercial space ventures grow, they hold the promise of expanding humanity’s reach in the cosmos while fostering global cooperation.