Axiom-4 Lifts Off At Last

After almost a month in quarantine and two weeks after their scheduled launch, the four-person Axiom-4 private astronaut mission lifted off this morning enroute to the International Space Station. Weather and a technical problem with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket delayed the launch for two days. After that NASA wanted time to assess the status of air leaks on the International Space Station. Finally this morning they reached orbit and once there shared the name of their brand new SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft — Grace.

Liftoff at 2:31 am ET from Kennedy Space Center went without a hitch.

Liftoff of Ax-4! pic.twitter.com/RHiVFVdnz3

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 25, 2025

Peggy Whitson, a renowned former NASA astronaut who now works for Axiom Space, is commanding the mission, her fifth: three long-duration missions to the ISS for NASA and a previous flight for Axiom (Ax-2). A biologist, she has commanded the ISS twice and holds the records for longest cumulative time in space for a woman and for an American, and the most spacewalks by a woman (10).

With her on Ax-4 are astronauts Shubhanshu Shukla (India), Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary). Shukla is one of the four Indian astronauts chosen for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. Uznański-Wiśniewski is a member of ESA’s reserve astronaut corps. Kapu is part of the Hungarian Astronaut to Orbit or HUNOR program. Each is the first astronaut from their respective countries to fly to space in more than 40 years. They will spend 14 days aboard the ISS conducting scientific experiments.

The crew entered quarantine at Kennedy Space Center on May 25 for a launch scheduled for June 10. High winds along the ascent corridor delayed it to June 11 and then SpaceX needed a day to fix a liquid oxygen leak on the Falcon 9 rocket. Shortly thereafter, however, NASA said it was delaying the launch while it assessed the success of repairs to long-standing air leaks at the aft end of the Russian segment of the ISS.  On June 17 they gave the go-ahead to launch on June 22, but changed their mind two days later and slipped the launch to today.

NASA provided very little information about what they were checking for and why it took so long. The initial statement indicated Russian repairs to air leaks in the PrK tunnel connecting Russia’s Zvezda module to a docking port, first detected in 2019, were finally plugged. Previous attempts yielded mixed results. But there was a “pressure signature” somewhere on the ISS they had to nail down. This Monday, June 23, the launch got the go-ahead. NASA hasn’t offered any news about the status of the leaks.

This is the first flight of this brand new Crew Dragon, the fifth in SpaceX’s fleet. By tradition the first crew gets to name the capsule. They decided to wait until they were in orbit to share it.

The capsule’s name is Grace.

Whitson explained why they picked it:

“Grace is more than a name. It reflects the elegance with which we move through space against the backdrop of Earth. It speaks to the refinement of our mission, the harmony of science and spirit, and the unmerited favor we carry with humility. Grace reminds us that spaceflight is not just a feat of engineering, but an act of goodwill for the benefit of every human everywhere.”

In a blog post, she shared additional comments referencing their Zero-G Indicator, a plush baby swan named Joy.

“And we are not alone. With us travels ‘Joy’ — a swan, a symbol of beauty, unity, and the shared dreams that lift us beyond our world. Joy inspires us to look outward with wonder and inward with hope. Together, Grace and Joy embody the essence of this mission: to explore with purpose, to connect with compassion, and to dream without limits. As we glide through space, may we carry with us the spirit of Grace, the lightness of Joy, and the boundless possibilities that await us.”

Docking is scheduled for 7:00 am ET on Thursday, June 26.  SpaceX, Axiom and NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 5:00 am ET.

They are joining the members of ISS Expedition 73: NASA astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, and Jonny Kim; JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi; and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and Kirill Peskov.

 

This article has been updated.