Ax-4 private astronaut mission to the ISS is 'go' for its June 8 SpaceX launch

The next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) just completed a major milestone ahead of its upcoming launch.

Houston-based company Axiom Space completed an internal Flight Readiness Review (FRR) on Wednesday (May 21) ahead of the launch of the company's fourth crewed mission to the ISS. Ax-4 is on track for a liftoff next month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a multinational crew aboard a brand-new Dragon spacecraft. The mission is scheduled to get off the ground on June 8 at 9:11 a.m. EDT (1311 GMT), from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Wednesday's FRR confirmed that all systems and personnel are "go" for next month's launch, which will be the most research-intensive mission that Axiom has conducted to date. During their roughly 14-day mission, the Ax-4 crewmembers are slated to complete more than 60 science and outreach activities aboard the ISS.

Ax-4 will be led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. It will be Whitson's fifth orbital spaceflight, and her second for Axiom. The upcoming mission will bring her total tally to nearly 700 days spent off Earth, extending her own American record.

Whitson's crewmates are pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, mission specialist Sławosz Uznański of Poland and the European Space Agency (ESA), and mission specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

Ax-4 will mark the first visit to the ISS by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary, and the first spaceflight for each of these three people. "This is realizing the return to human spaceflight for these countries," said Axiom Chief of Mission Services Allen Flynt during a May 20 press call. Poland, Hungary and India have all had astronauts fly to space before, but never to the space station.

"We believe that missions like Ax-4 will motivate our young minds to be passionate about space technology," said Sudeesh Balan, project director for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), during Tuesday's call.

The 60 experiments and outreach activities that Ax-4 will perform represent contributions from 31 countries. Dana Weigel, NASA's ISS program manager, described the mission as a "phenomenal way" to expand the space agency's research footprint on the ISS.

The recent 2026 "skinny budget" from the Trump administration proposes a nearly 25% cut to NASA's funding, including a reduction of crew and cargo missions to the ISS. Exploration advocates have raised concerns about the agency's ability to conduct research aboard the orbital laboratory in such a budget environment.

Ax-4 could help bridge the gap, according to Weigel. A private mission like this one "really expands the breadth of what we can do with research and the number of countries, institutions, academic organizations, etc, who participate," she said. "So, my hope and my goal would be that we continue to maximize everything we can on missions like this, just to help with overall science and return on investment with station."

Seventeen of the 60 experiments are being supported by ESA, most in cooperation with Poland specifically for Ax-4, ESA mission manager Sergio Palumberi said during the May 20 call. Hungary has contributed 25 experiments through the country's orbital astronaut program HUNOR. Orsolya Ferencz, HUNOR's ministerial commissioner of space research, called the effort "a strategic national effort, an expression of Hungary's commitment to sovereignty in critical technological fields and to securing a place in the rapidly evolving space economy."

The Ax-4 quartet will launch aboard a brand-new SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. As is tradition, the crew of a spaceship's first voyage gets the right to name the vessel. However, the name of the newly built Crew Dragon has yet to be revealed. That honor is also being saved for the crew, according to SpaceX Director of Dragon Mission Management Sarah Walker, and was not released during the May 20 call with reporters.

Ax-4 will remain docked to the ISS for two weeks, as the crew work their way through the mission's record number of science and technology demonstrations. As Axiom continues gaining on-orbit experience, the company is making strides toward its long-term goal of operating its own private space station in low Earth orbit.

"This is allowing us to develop and refine our processes, our procedures, our technology, and develop the operational experience necessary to execute the missions on the Axiom Station," explained Flynt. Axiom is targeting as early as 2027 for the launch of its first station module, which will initially attach to the ISS before additional modules can provide the power and life support needed for the private station to be independently operable.

Flynt expects those missions to continue the multinational representation that Ax-4 and previous Axiom missions have exemplified. "We are certainly looking towards the opportunities to continue partnership with the international community, and certainly would expect that to have a complement of crew that will represent multiple nations," he said.