The NASA-supported fourth non-public astronaut mission to the Worldwide Area Station, Axiom Mission 4, accomplished its flight as a part of the company’s efforts to display demand and construct operational information for future industrial house stations.
The four-person crew safely returned to Earth, splashing down off the coast of California at 5:31 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Groups aboard SpaceX restoration vessels retrieved the spacecraft and astronauts.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Area, ISRO (Indian Area Analysis Group) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, and ESA (European Area Company) mission astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary, accomplished about two and a half weeks in house.
The Axiom Mission 4 crew launched at 2:31 a.m. on June 25, on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida. Roughly 28 hours later, Dragon docked to the space-facing port of the house station’s Concord module. The astronauts undocked at 7:15 a.m. on July 14, to start the journey house.
The crew performed microgravity analysis, instructional outreach, and industrial actions. The spacecraft will return to Florida for inspection and processing at SpaceX’s refurbishing services. All through their mission, the astronauts performed about 60 science experiments, and returned science, together with NASA cargo, again to Earth.
A collaboration between NASA and ISRO allowed Axiom Mission 4 to ship on a dedication highlighted by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ship the primary ISRO astronaut to the station. The house companies participated in five joint science investigations and two in-orbit science, expertise, engineering, and arithmetic demonstrations. NASA and ISRO have a long-standing relationship constructed on a shared imaginative and prescient to advance scientific information and broaden house collaboration.
The non-public mission additionally carried the primary astronauts from Poland and Hungary to remain aboard the house station.
The Worldwide Area Station is a springboard for growing a low Earth orbit financial system. NASA’s purpose is to realize a robust financial system off the Earth the place the company should buy companies as one in all many shoppers to satisfy its science and analysis aims in microgravity. NASA’s industrial technique for low Earth orbit supplies the federal government with dependable and secure companies at a decrease price, enabling the company to give attention to Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars whereas additionally persevering with to make use of low Earth orbit as a coaching and proving floor for these deep house missions.
Be taught extra about NASA’s industrial house technique at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-space
Information Media Contacts:
Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov
Anna Schneider
Johnson Area Heart, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov