From left: Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański of ESA/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary. Photo: Axiom Space

Axiom Space will partner with various partners as it looks to send three astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on Axion Mission 4 (Ax-4), the company’s next commercial human spaceflight mission to the orbiting laboratory. It will partner with India through the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Poland, with European Space Agency (ESA) support, and Hungary on this mission. Axiom Space announced details of the mission on Aug. 5.

The mission will emphasize scientific research, technology demonstrations, and the commercialization of space. Additionally, the mission aims to foster cooperation by sharing knowledge, resources, and opportunities with partners.

Ax-4 will launch to the orbiting laboratory aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Florida, and the crew is expected to spend up to 14 days on the space station. Ax-4 will be the second Axiom Space mission to include an ESA astronaut. Marcus Wandt became ESA’s first-ever project astronaut on Ax-3 and the second ESA astronaut of Swedish nationality to travel to the space station. During Ax-4, Axiom Space will continue to build on its partnership with ESA by sending a Polish astronaut to space for the first time in more than 40 years. The Ax-4 crew members arrived in Houston on Monday to begin training with Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX.

“Ax-4 represents Axiom Space’s continued efforts to build opportunity for countries to research, innovate, test, and engage with people around the world while in LEO. This mission broadens horizons for nations with ambitious goals of advancing scientific, technological, and economic pursuits. Our collaboration with ESA for a second time and the inclusion of Hungary and India underscores Axiom Space’s ability to cultivate global partners, expand the scope of exploration, and open up new avenues to grow a global space economy,” Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space, said in a statement.