Axiom Space has released new information about the scientific and technological goals for its upcoming Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station, scheduled for launch no earlier than May 2025.

Commanded by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson (U.S.), the Ax-4 crew includes pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (India), mission specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (ESA/Poland), and mission specialist Tibor Kapu (Hungary). The team will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule from the Eastern Range no earlier than late May.

Ax-4 Will Perform The Most Research-Driven Axiom Mission To Date

The mission will carry roughly 60 science and research payloads involving partners from 31 countries — including the U.S., India, Hungary, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE, and others across Europe. This marks the most research-driven mission Axiom has led to date, reinforcing the growing international momentum behind low-Earth orbit science and commercial space collaboration.

Much of the research on the mission will be driven by the crew members’ home countries, including experiments from India’s ISRO, Poland in partnership with the European Space Agency, Hungary’s HUNOR program, and the United States. Axiom is also collaborating with research institutions and universities to study how spaceflight affects the human body and how these insights can improve healthcare back on Earth.

Ax-4 is a key step in building a sustainable research and business environment in orbit — and in paving the way for Axiom Station, the company’s planned commercial space station.

Axiom has been making strides in getting their Station completed, launched and connected to ISS — a multi-pronged highly complex program. They recently demonstrated a successful detailed simulation of the capturing and attaching Axiom Station to ISS, a key milestone on the way towards launching the real thing sometime in 2027.

Ax-4 Crew and Launch Plans

Axiom-Led Research

Axiom’s research program spans critical areas in space health and biology. Highlights include:

• Supporting astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes during spaceflight.
• Studying how microgravity affects brain function, joints, blood flow, and psychological adaptation.
• Gathering health data using wearables and smart devices.
• Investigating cancer progression and stem cell behavior in space.
• Monitoring radiation exposure and its effects on human tissue.

India: ISRO

India’s space agency, ISRO, is running several biology and materials science experiments in partnership with NASA and ESA. Focus areas include:

• Visual and cognitive responses to screen use in microgravity.
• Microgravity effects on algae and cyanobacteria strains.
• Studying muscle degeneration and crop seed germination in orbit.
• Identifying genetic resilience to extreme space environments.

Poland / ESA

With ESA support, Poland is conducting a wide-ranging scientific package focused on astronaut health, physiology, and advanced technology. Research will explore:

• Mental health and behavioral responses in space.
• Bone loss, gut microbiome changes, and immune system function.
• Wearable tech performance and biomedical data monitoring.
• New pharmaceutical storage methods and radiation sensors.
• Microgravity experiments with algae, tardigrade genes, and neurofeedback tools.

Hungary: HUNOR Program

Hungary’s national space research initiative is contributing a diverse set of studies covering biology, physics, propulsion, and education:

• Microbiome studies of astronauts.
• Effects of spaceflight on cognition, cardiovascular function, and motor control.
• Advanced propulsion experiments using low-melting-point metals.
• Demonstrating 3D printing behavior, microfluidic drug testing, and smart clothing technologies in orbit.
• Collaborative educational physics experiments simulating gravity and atmospheric dynamics.