SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Landmark Axiom Mission 4 to ISS
(MENAFN) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, taking off from Launch Complex 39A at 2:31 a.m. local time (0631 GMT) on Wednesday, initiating Axiom Mission 4—the fourth private crewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS).
Approximately eight minutes after liftoff, SpaceX reported a flawless touchdown of the rocket’s reusable first-stage booster at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, descending at a precise 200 meters per second.
The Dragon spacecraft is set to rendezvous and dock with the ISS by around 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) Thursday, following a 30-hour orbital pursuit. The quartet onboard will remain in orbit for up to 14 days, engaging in scientific research, public outreach, and commercial demonstrations, according to NASA.
Commanding the mission is former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has logged 675 days in space. She is accompanied by Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), European Space Agency project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu.
"With a culturally diverse crew, we are not only advancing scientific knowledge but also fostering international collaboration," Whitson stated in a Houston-based Axiom Space release.
This flight represents the first government-supported orbital mission for India, Poland, and Hungary in over 40 years. Highlighting ongoing international teamwork, NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro emphasized the launch’s connection to the longstanding partnership between NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos on the ISS, especially following recent repairs to the station’s Russian segment, per a NASA media advisory.
Axiom Space revealed the mission will involve roughly 60 experiments spanning 31 countries—the largest experimental portfolio ever carried on an Axiom flight. Featured projects include radiation-resistant electronics and physics experiments designed by students, which will be streamed live to classrooms worldwide.
Upon mission completion, the Dragon capsule will undock and target a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s coast, delivering vital scientific samples back to Earth.
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