Axiom Space's record-setter to lead astronauts from 3 nations on private mission
Next week she'll lead a mission with three men representing countries that haven't sent anyone to space in more than four decades.
Whitson, 65, will command the Ax-4 mission targeting liftoff as early as 8:22 a.m. Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A. It will transport three Axiom customers: one each from India and Hungary, whose seats were paid for by their governments, and one from Poland through the European Space Agency.
Whitson flew three times for NASA before joining Axiom, for which she commanded the Ax-2 mission in 2023 and tallied more than 675 days in space. She holds the record for most time in space by a woman and most for any American. All four of her missions were to the International Space Station - as is the Ax-4 flight.
"For me, returning to space is always a special experience. Every mission is different," she said during a call with media Tuesday. "Every crew brings something new to the table. I've been incredibly impressed by the dedication and the work ethic and the passion of this team.
"It's been a joy to train alongside them and I'm looking forward to seeing them in microgravity."
That crew members are Shubhanshu Shukla of India, acting as mission pilot; mission specialist Sławosz Uznański of Poland, an ESA project astronaut; and mission specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
The quartet will climb aboard a new SpaceX Crew Dragon - which will get its official name once it reaches orbit - launching atop a Falcon 9 rocket on only the second human spaceflight of the year from Space Coast following the March launch of Crew-10.
The Dragon is slated to dock with the space station Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. for a planned two-week stay during which crew members will participate in a heavy schedule of science experiments, technology demonstrations and media outreach.
"We'll be conducting research that spans biology, material and physical sciences as well as technology demonstrations," Whitson said. "We'll also be engaging with students around the world, sharing our experience and inspiring the next generation of explorers."
One science experiment she's most interested in could pave the way for people who are diabetic to travel into space.
"A person with diabetes can't fly in space because it's disqualifying and not considered to be safe, because we wouldn't know how their bodies would respond," Whitson said. "So if we have the appropriate technology to monitor the individuals, we feel that we can open up that door and that path for a lot of folks in the world and just open up space a little bit more."
Delving into a customer base of countries which don't have as much access to space is part of Axiom's business plan.
For this mission, the three countries represented first flew to space with the Soviet Union as cosmonauts on Soyuz spacecraft, but nothing since 1984, although a Hungarian-American millionaire flew to the space station twice as a tourist in 2007 and 2009.
The governments paid Axiom an undisclosed amount for their representatives' trip to the space station. It marks the third time it has flown government-sponsored passengers after its first trip to the station in 2022 had three men who paid $55 million each for their visit. Whitson's last trip on Ax-2 had just one private passenger who paid their own way. The Saudi Arabian government paid for the other two passengers. Since then, Axiom has focused on only government-sponsored customers.
Ax-3 in 2024 had passengers from Italy, Turkey and Sweden. Similar to Uznański on this mission, the ESA paid for the Swedish customer even though the agency has access to the space station as a partner with NASA, Canada, Japan and Russia.
The trio of space newcomers on this mission all spoke of it as opening up possibilities for their nations.
"I carry with me, not just instruments and equipment, but the hopes and dreams of a billion hearts," said India's Shukla, who will perform seven experiments for research institutions from his nation. "These experiments will pave the way for India's progress in microgravity science, and I'm proud to be the bridge between Earth and orbit for this pioneering research, balancing the scientific ambition with a rich cultural heritage."
Poland's Uznański noted that he will enjoy the view.
"I'm looking forward to floating in the cupola, which is our window back on Earth. I can't wait to see all the training places, and also our four countries from up there, but mostly to see Earth as a whole, as one planet, one home," he said.
Kapu will do 25 experiments for Hungary while also using half of his personal luggage space to bring something that pays homage to the first Hungarian who flew to space in 1978.
"There was a teddy bear which is wearing a cosmonaut space suit. This teddy bear is from a Hungarian TV show for kids," he said, noting it went along for the ride nearly 50 years ago. "I'm really proud to fly that again."
It won't be the only stuffed animal on the flight. The other is a swan called Joy, named by Kapu, that will function as the crew's "zero-gravity indicator" - traditionally an object that lets astronauts know they've reached space as it begins to float around after launch.
Whitson teased the swan's connection to the name reveal for the Crew Dragon capsule. The first four Crew Dragons were named Endeavour, Resilience, Endurance and Freedom.
"The reason we selected this one might become more obvious once you hear the name of the vehicle," she said. "You'll have to wait for that one."
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