On Wednesday, India, Poland, and Hungary launched their first astronauts in over 40 years on a private mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This historic event was coordinated by Axiom Space, and each ticket cost over $65 million. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, two weeks later than planned due to concerns about a leak at the ISS. The crew included Peggy Whitson, America’s most experienced astronaut, alongside India’s Shubhanshu Shukla, Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski.
The astronauts are scheduled to arrive at the ISS the following morning, where they will conduct various experiments and share traditional foods from their cultures, such as Indian curry, Hungarian paprika paste, and Polish pierogies. Notably, Kapu received encouragement from Hungary’s first astronaut, Bertalan Farkas, who emphasized the importance of international collaboration in space.
Shukla expressed hopes of inspiring curiosity and innovation among young people in India, framing his journey as representative of 1.4 billion people. Both Uznanski-Wisniewski and Shukla acknowledged the legacy of their predecessors, carrying mementos to honor them.
This flight marks Axiom’s fourth mission since 2022 and Whitson’s second as commander. The mission is part of NASA’s evolving approach, which now embraces private space travel, aiming to expand accessibility to the cosmos. Future goals include the establishment of private space stations before the current ISS is retired in 2031. Uznanski-Wisniewski stated that access to space is no longer limited to major agencies, while Kapu added that Hungary aims to join leading nations in space exploration.
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