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\n This image provided by NASA shows Axiom Space crew members from the Ax-4 mission from second left, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, Axiom Space’s Peggy Whitson, India’s Shubhanshu Shukla and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu aboard the International Space Station, on June 26, 2025.<\/p>\n
AP\/via NASA<\/p>\n
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AP\/via NASA<\/p>\n
A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts on the private Ax-4 mission<\/a> hurtled through the Earth’s atmosphere early Tuesday, paralleling the California coast<\/a> with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, capping 20 days in space. <\/p>\n The pre-dawn return, which rattled parts of southern California with a sonic boom just before 2:31 a.m. PT, ends Axiom Space’s fourth private mission to the International Space Station where it was docked for 18 days. <\/p>\n The Houston, Texas-based commercial space company works with SpaceX for rides to the I.S.S. and coordinates with NASA for the usage of the station for its astronauts. Ax-4 lifted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on June 25<\/a>.<\/p>\n On this flight, the crew of four set a number of firsts:<\/p>\n They flew the maiden voyage of SpaceX’s newest capsule, named Grace<\/a>. The commander, Peggy Whitson<\/a>, extended her record-setting cumulative time in space by a U.S. astronaut to 695 days. Now Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight, the veteran former NASA astronaut made her fifth overall space trip.She was joined on Ax-4 by astronauts from India (pilot Shubhanshu Shukla), Poland (mission specialist S\u0142awosz Uzna\u0144ski-Wi\u015bniewski) and Hungary (mission specialist Tibor Kapu). Axiom Space notes it was the first time in four decades<\/a> that, “these nations launched national astronauts into space \u2014 and for the first time ever, their astronauts lived and worked aboard the International Space Station.” <\/p>\n While at the I.S.S., the Ax-4 crew conducted approximately 60 scientific experiments and research studies. The company says it’s the “most research and science-related activities” conducted so far on an Axiom Space flight.<\/p>\n This was the 18th time SpaceX launched humans into orbit. The Starbase, Texas company’s<\/a> next mission for NASA, Crew-11<\/a>, is scheduled to launch in a few weeks from the Kennedy Space Center for a long-duration stay at the space station.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1080x1080+420+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa5%2F9f%2F2d7246bc4e52b82bef62b7031540%2Faxemu-prada-spacesuit-mockup-20241007-085-axedit.jpg\")
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