For the first time in over four decades, astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary have launched into space, embarking on a privately funded mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The two-week mission, organized by Houston-based Axiom Space, saw the three nations jointly cover the cost, with each ticket priced at more than $65 million. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after a two-week delay caused by concerns over a persistent air leak aboard the ISS.
The flight carried four astronauts: India’s Shubhanshu Shukla, a pilot in the Indian Air Force; Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer; Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, a radiation expert and European Space Agency project astronaut; and Peggy Whitson, America’s most experienced astronaut, who serves as commander. None of the three international astronauts were born when their countries' first space travelers flew decades ago with Soviet missions.
They are expected to arrive at the orbiting laboratory the following morning. Alongside scientific experiments, the crew also brought cultural cuisine from their homelands: Indian curry with rice and mango nectar, Hungarian paprika paste, and freeze-dried Polish pierogies.
Hungary’s first astronaut, Bertalan Farkas — who flew with the Soviets in 1980 — attended the launch and praised the mission as a major milestone for Hungarian space efforts. A symbolic teddy bear, which accompanied Farkas on his mission, flew again with Kapu.
Uznanski-Wisniewski carried the Polish flag worn by Poland’s first astronaut Miroslaw Hermaszewski, who passed away in 2022. India’s Shukla honored his mentor, Rakesh Sharma — the country’s first astronaut — with a surprise gift on board, though Sharma was unable to attend the launch.
While individuals of Indian and Hungarian descent have flown in space before as U.S. citizens — such as NASA’s Kalpana Chawla and space tourist Charles Simonyi — this marks the first time in decades that astronauts officially representing those nations have launched.
Shukla expressed hopes of inspiring innovation and curiosity among India's youth, calling the journey one that represents all 1.4 billion Indians. Each astronaut plans to engage in outreach programs during and after the mission.
This is Axiom Space’s fourth private mission to the ISS since 2022. Whitson, who joined Axiom after retiring from NASA, has spent nearly two years in space and previously commanded a similar private mission. She missed her recent U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame induction due to quarantine requirements for the flight.
NASA, once hesitant about private missions to the ISS, now fully supports them as part of a broader initiative to commercialize space travel. The agency charges for resources and requires the presence of a veteran astronaut on board. Axiom is among several American firms aiming to build private space stations before the ISS is decommissioned in 2031.
“Space is no longer exclusive to the largest space agencies,” said Uznanski-Wisniewski. Kapu echoed the sentiment, saying this mission moves Hungary closer to being part of the global space community.
Their launch was delayed earlier this year due to a capsule swap by SpaceX, allowing NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return home ahead of schedule. More setbacks followed, including an oxygen leak in the Falcon 9 and ongoing issues on the ISS's Russian segment.
Once in orbit, the crew addressed their countries in their native languages and revealed the name of their SpaceX capsule: Grace.
“Good things come to those who wait,” SpaceX told the astronauts. “Godspeed to the maiden crew of Grace.”
SpaceX’s Falcon rockets have been launching reliably since 2020, while its larger Starship counterpart continues to undergo testing for future missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.