After Decades, Astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary Return to Space | WPN World People News

On June 25 (Eastern Time), three astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, heading to the International Space Station (ISS) for a mission lasting approximately ten days. This marks the first time in decades that these three nations have rejoined the ranks of human space exploration.

The mission, led by private space company Axiom Space, is the company’s fourth commercial crewed flight. The crew includes Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Hungarian aerospace engineer Tibor Kapu. For some of these astronauts, it has been over 40 years since their countries last participated in a crewed space mission.

About eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully separated from the spacecraft. Crew Dragon is expected to dock with the ISS in the early hours of June 26 (ET), where the astronauts will conduct scientific experiments, medical research, and educational outreach activities.

This mission carries significant symbolic value, highlighting the resurgence of emerging space nations and reflecting the growing maturity of international cooperation and commercial spaceflight. Historically, space missions from these countries were largely tied to Cold War-era collaborations with the Soviet Union. Now, through commercial spacecraft, they are realizing the dream of returning to orbit and contributing to a new chapter in space exploration.

NASA and Axiom Space have stated that such commercial missions will continue in the future, with the goal of enabling more countries to participate in space activities and further expanding humanity’s understanding and exploration of the universe.