The Crew Dragon spacecraft containing the participants of the private Ax-4 mission has successfully returned to Earth. The capsule with four astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
Ax-4 became the fourth private flight to the ISS organized by Axiom Space. After several postponements, Crew Dragon with four crew members was launched on June 25, 2025. The next day, the spacecraft docked with the ISS.
The Ax-4 crew includes former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson (commander), Indian Air Force pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Hungarian engineer Tibor Kapu, and Polish engineer Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski. For India, Poland, and Hungary, this flight marked the first time in history that their citizens visited the ISS. It is also worth noting that Shubhanshu Shukla is one of four pilots who will be part of the crew of the Indian spacecraft Gaganyaan. It is highly likely that he will command India’s first national space mission.
The Ax-4 flight differed from previous Axiom private missions because it placed a much greater emphasis on science. During their stay on board the station, the astronauts conducted more than fifty experiments commissioned by 31 countries, including the United States, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, and European countries.
Initially, the Ax-4 mission was scheduled to last 14 days. However, its participants ended up spending 18 days aboard the ISS. On July 14, Crew Dragon with four private astronauts undocked from the station. The next day, the spacecraft entered Earth’s atmosphere. Its capsule made a successful parachute landing off the coast of California, near San Diego.
Axiom Space’s next private mission to the ISS will take place no earlier than May 2026. The company has not yet announced who will be part of its crew.
