Axiom Mission 4 Completed: Astronauts from Four Countries Safely Return to Earth | WPN World People News

The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which brought together astronauts from the United States, Poland, India, and Hungary, has successfully concluded its 20-day space mission. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, safely splashed down off the coast of California.

According to foreign media reports, the spacecraft separated from the International Space Station (ISS) at 7:15 p.m. Taiwan time on the 14th. After a return journey of approximately 22 hours, it reentered Earth’s atmosphere, deployed its main drogue and parachutes, and landed in the Pacific Ocean at 5:31 p.m. Taiwan time on the 15th.

The Ax-4 mission began on June 25 and conducted 60 scientific experiments. The crew included mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut now working for Axiom Space—a private space infrastructure company—Indian pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and two mission specialists: Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

This mission marks the first time in over four decades that India, Poland, and Hungary have participated in a crewed spaceflight. The three countries jointly funded the mission, each contributing more than USD 65 million, equivalent to over NT$1.9 billion. Axiom Space, the private company behind the mission, specializes in sending personnel to the ISS, catering both to wealthy private individuals and government-sponsored astronauts.