SpaceX’s newest Crew Dragon capsule, named ‘Grace’, lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, marking a historic moment in space exploration. The mission, known as Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), is carrying astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to the International Space Station (ISS).
The crew includes pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, and commander Peggy Whitson of the United States. Whitson is a former NASA astronaut now working with Axiom Space, the company organizing private spaceflights to the ISS.
This launch is significant as it’s the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary have traveled to space since the 1980s. Shukla is the first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma, who flew to the Salyut 7 space station in 1984 as part of a Soviet-led mission.
The Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Crew Dragon ‘Grace’ into orbit, and the spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Thursday around 1100 GMT. The crew will spend up to 14 days aboard the orbital laboratory, conducting experiments and participating in international collaborations.
The Ax-4 mission faced technical delays before its successful launch, originally planned for early June. The Crew Dragon ‘Grace’ joins SpaceX’s active fleet alongside Endeavour, Resilience, Endurance, and Freedom.
This mission represents a new era of global cooperation in space exploration, inspiring young people worldwide to look to the stars and dream big.
