Latest news with #Ax-2
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Who is Peggy Whitson? Record-holding Iowa astronaut returns to space on Axiom 4 mission
Astronaut Peggy Whitson, an Iowa native, has spent hundreds of days living among the stars during her career with NASA and Axiom Space. So, what's two more weeks? Whitson, a veteran astronaut and two-time commander of the International Space Station, is on her way back to the orbital outpost for her fifth stint. The cosmic voyage, coming seven years after her retirement from NASA, is her second with Axiom Space – a commercial spaceflight company based in Houston, Texas. The expedition, known as Axiom Mission 4, got off the ground in the early hours of Wednesday, June 25, following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Now that the Dragon capsule that Whitson and her crew are aboard has separated from the rocket, the spacecraft will spend the next day completing a trip to the space station. In the meantime, here's what to know about Whitson and her storied career as both a government and private astronaut. Born in one of Iowa's smallest towns, Beaconsfield, Whitson graduated from Mount Ayr Community High School in 1978 — the same year NASA started accepting women in the astronaut program — before receiving degrees in biology and chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan College and a doctorate in biochemistry from Rice University. More: Is there life on Mars? This Iowa astronaut thinks so — and she wants to find it. From the moment she walked into the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Whitson's goal was to be in orbit. She was rejected from the astronaut program four times, continuing to apply herself as a researcher and genetic engineer for nearly a decade before she was accepted into a training class in 1996 as a NASA astronaut. She retired from NASA in 2018 before embarking on another spaceflight career in the private sector. After joining Axiom Space as the company's director of human spaceflight, Whitson became the first female commander of a commercial space mission in 2023 following the launch of Ax-2. Whitson, 65, is leading a crew of spacefarers selected for the latest Axiom Space mission to the International Space Station. Under Whitson's command are pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and two mission specialists: Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, who is part of the European Space Agency's reserve astronaut class, and Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer from Hungary. When they reach the station, the astronauts of Ax-4 are due to spend about 14 days conducting scientific experiments in microgravity on behalf of organizations around the world. Coming more than two years after her most recent spaceflight, the Axiom Mission 4 venture represents Whitson's fifth trip to the International Space Station. Whitson's first three spaceflight missions were as a NASA astronaut, beginning with Expedition 5 in 2002. Whitson served as a flight engineer during the six-month mission from June to December at the orbital outpost, during which she and two Russian cosmonauts conducted research into how microgravity affects plants and the human body. In October 2007, Whitson returned to the space station for Expedition 16 – this time as the mission commander. During the six-month rotation, Whitson helped conduct various research and also oversaw the first expansion of the station's living and working space in more than six years. That included the addition of the Harmony module – still widely used for docking spacecraft to this day. Whitson's final trip to space before retiring from NASA came in 2016, when she served as commander once again for Expedition 50. The lengthy voyage lasted 289 days and stretched into Expedition 51 and Expedition 52, during which time Whitson contributed to hundreds of scientific experiments. In the course of her spacefaring career, Whitson has accumulated a number of accolades and records for NASA. Only four NASA astronauts have spent more consecutive days in space than Whitson following her 289-day voyage between 2016 and 2017. Whitson's long-duration spaceflight, in fact, was just three days longer than that of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — the NASA astronauts who recently made headlines when their voyage aboard the Boeing Starliner led to an unexpected extended 286-day mission at the ISS. But to this day, no American astronaut has spent more days in space overall than the cumulative 675 days Whitson has lived among the stars since 2002. Earlier in 2025, Suni Williams surpassed Whitson's record for the most total time any woman has spent on spacewalks. After completing the ninth spacewalk of her career in late January, Williams has now spent 62 hours and 6 minutes suited up in the vacuum of space. Williams' recent spacewalk, often referred to as extra-vehicular activity in space agency parlance, broke Whitson's record of 60 hours and 21 minutes set in 2017. Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@ or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Who is Peggy Whitson? Record-holding astronaut leads Axiom 4 mission
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX rocket launch of Starlink satellites from Florida set for Wednesday afternoon
SpaceX plans to launch 27 Starlink satellites on Wednesday afternoon from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. What we know A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch the satellites at 12:39 p.m. Backup windows arte available through the afternoon and the following day. This will be the 20th time the first stage booster supporting the mission is used. It has launched missions like Ax-2, Euclid, Ax-3, CRS-30, SES ASTRA 1P, NG-21, and 13 other Starlink flights before. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read The Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. FOX 35 News will stream the launch live using the video player at the top of this page. The backstory Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet constellation, has been expanding rapidly, with frequent launches adding to its growing network in low-Earth orbit. The company's Direct to Cell capability aims to eliminate mobile dead zones by allowing standard cell phones to connect directly to satellites without requiring additional hardware. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local: Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by SpaceX.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Who is Peggy Whitson? record-holding NASA astronaut leads Axiom 4 mission to ISS
Peggy Whitson has spent hundreds of days in the past two-plus decades living among the stars during her illustrious career with both NASA and now Axiom Space. So, what's two more weeks? Whitson, a veteran astronaut and two-time commander of the International Space Station, is on her way back to the orbital outpost for her fifth-ever stint. The cosmic voyage, coming seven years after her retirement from NASA, is her second with Axiom Space – a commercial spaceflight company based in Houston, Texas. The expedition, known as Axiom Mission 4, got off the ground in the early hours of Wednesday, June 25, following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Now that the Dragon capsule Whitson and her crew is aboard has separated from the rocket, the spacecraft will spend the next day completing a trip to the space station. In the meantime, here's everything to know about Peggy Whitson and her storied career as both a government and now private astronaut. Whitson, 65, is leading a crew of spacefarers selected for the latest Axiom Space mission to the International Space Station. Under Whitson's command are pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and two mission specialists: Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, who is part of the European Space Agency's reserve astronaut class, and Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer from Hungary. This mission marks the first government-sponsored spaceflight in more than 40 years for India, Poland and Hungary. Shukla, Uznański-Wiśniewski and Kapu would also be the first spacefarers from each nation to ever reach the orbital laboratory. When they reach the station, the astronauts of Ax-4 are due to spend about 14 days conducting scientific experiments in microgravity on behalf of organizations around the world. Born in Iowa, Whitson was selected in 1996 to begin training as a NASA astronaut. She retired from NASA in 2018 before embarking on another spaceflight career in the private sector. After joining Axiom Space as the company's director of human spaceflight, Whitson became the first female commander of a commercial space mission in 2023 following the launch of Ax-2. Coming more than two years after her most recent spaceflight, the Axiom Mission 4 venture represents Whitson's fifth-ever trip to the International Space Station. Whitson's first three spaceflight missions were as a NASA astronaut, beginning with Expedition 5 in 2002. Whitson served as a flight engineer during the six-month mission from June to December at the orbital outpost, during which she and two Russian cosmonauts conducted research into how microgravity affects plants and the human body. In October 2007, Whitson returned to the space station for Expedition 16 – this time as the mission commander. During the six-month rotation, Whitson helped conduct various research and also oversaw the first expansion of the station's living and working space in more than six years. That included the addition of the Harmony module – still widely used for docking spacecraft to this day. Whitson's final trip to space before retiring from NASA came in 2016, when she served as commander once again for Expedition 50. The lengthy voyage lasted 289 days and stretched into Expedition 51 and Expedition 52, during which time Whitson contributed to hundreds of scientific experiments. In the course of her spacefaring career, Whitson has accumulated a number of accolades and records for NASA. Only four NASA astronauts have spent more consecutive days in space than Whitson following her 289-day voyage between 2016 and 2017. Whitson's long-duration spaceflight, in fact, was just three days longer than that of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – the NASA astronauts who recently made headlines when their voyage aboard the Boeing Starliner led to an unexpected extended 286-day mission at the ISS. But to this day, no American astronaut has spent more days in space overall than the cumulative 675 days Whitson has lived among the stars since 2002. Earlier in 2025, Suni Williams surpassed Whitson's record for the most total time any woman has spent on spacewalks. After completing the ninth spacewalk of her career in late January, Williams has now spent 62 hours and 6 minutes suited up in the vacuum of space. Williams' recent spacewalk, often referred to as extra-vehicular activity in space agency parlance, broke Whitson's record of 60 hours and 21 minutes set in 2017. Whitson, though, still holds the records for the most spacewalks by any woman, with 10 made throughout her career. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Who is Peggy Whitson? SpaceX Axiom 4 commander is a NASA record-holder
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First Post
25-06-2025
- Science
- First Post
Shubhanshu Shukla and the other crew members on Axiom-4 mission
Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station, with the Axiom-4 mission scheduled for launch on Wednesday (June 25). The mission will be led by Peggy Whitson, the most experienced astronaut in American history, who has spent more days in space than any other woman globally. The other two mission specialists are Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland read more The crew will fly to the space station aboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. X/@NASASpaceOps Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others are ready to head to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, after several delays. SpaceX has said that weather conditions are 90 per cent suitable for the launch. Meanwhile, Nasa said that the Axiom Mission 4, which is the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS, is expected to launch at 12.01 pm (IST). ALSO READ | Why Axiom-4 mission carrying Shubhanshu Shukla faced multiple delays STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The crew will fly to the space station aboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which will be launched using the company's Falcon 9 rocket. So, who are the other astronauts joining Shubhanshu Shukla on this journey? Let's take a look: Axiom-4 mission: Who are the crew members? Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station. Joining him on the Axiom-4 mission are three other astronauts. Leading the mission is Peggy Whitson, a former Nasa astronaut and now Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space. The two mission specialists are Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland. Both are project astronauts with the European Space Agency. Here's a look at the crew: Peggy Whitson Whitson, who previously commanded Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), is the most experienced astronaut in American history. She has completed three long-duration missions and spent a total of 665 days in space, more than any other American or woman astronaut globally. With over 38 years of experience in space and science, she has worked with Nasa in various roles and now heads human spaceflight at Axiom Space. She is the most experienced astronaut in American history. Reuters/File Photo During Ax-2, she became the first woman to command a private space mission. She was also the first woman to lead the ISS and remains the only woman to have done so twice. She also made history as Nasa's first non-military female chief of the Astronaut Office. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Across her three missions, she has performed 10 spacewalks, clocking over 60 hours, and carried out hundreds of experiments aboard the ISS. She has made contributions to biology, biotechnology, physical and Earth sciences, and has also overseen numerous cargo missions bringing supplies and research material to the station. ALSO READ | What is Axiom-4 Mission that India's Sudhanshu Shukla will pilot to space? Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski Polish scientist and engineer Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski has made huge contributions to science and space research. He is part of the European Space Agency's Astronaut Reserve Class of 2022 and was selected from more than 22,500 applicants. Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski joins the Axiom-4 mission as a mission specialist. Reuters/File Photo At the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, he worked as a reliability expert and project lead. From 2018 to 2020, he served as Engineer in Charge of the Large Hadron Collider, overseeing its operations. He joins the Axiom-4 mission as a mission specialist. Tibor Kapu Kapu is a mechanical engineer from Hungary who will also serve as a mission specialist on the mission. Before joining the Hungarian Astronaut Programme, he worked on space radiation protection at an aerospace technology firm. Tibor Kapu has completed 38 skydives and has run 21 half marathons. Reuters/File Photo In 2023, Kapu was chosen as one of four finalists from 247 candidates for Hungary's astronaut training under the Hungarian to Orbit (Hunor) Astronaut Program. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He has studied space engineering, health in space, and the history of spaceflight. He has also taken part in several scientific experiments. Outside his professional life, he enjoys adventure sports. He has completed 38 skydives and has run 21 half marathons. Shubhanshu Shukla's journey to ISS Shukla is the designated pilot for the Axiom-4 mission. He is one of the four astronauts preparing for India's first human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, which is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2027. Originally from Lucknow, Shukla has served as a fighter pilot for over 16 years and has logged more than 2,000 hours of flying time. As part of the mission, he will lead research focused on food and nutrition in space. These studies have been developed with the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from Nasa. Over the course of his aviation career, Shukla has flown various aircraft, including the Su-30MKI, MIG-21, MIG-29, Jaguar, and Hawk. He is a qualified fighter combat leader and an award-winning test pilot. With this launch, Shukla becomes the first Indian astronaut to travel to space in more than forty years, after Rakesh Sharma's historic mission aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
Miami Herald
06-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Axiom Space's record-setter to lead astronauts from 3 nations on private mission
Peggy Whitson has spent nearly two years of her life in space as an Axiom Space employee and former NASA astronaut. 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." -------------- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
