Axiom, SpaceX, NASA Target Wednesday for Fourth Private ISS Mission

Approximate two-week mission comprises about 60 scientific experiments for 31 countries.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 01:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Ax-4 astronauts (from left) Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, Peggy Whitson, Shubhanshu Shukla, and Tibor Kapu are preparing for a two-week mission to the International Space Station. [Courtesy: Axiom Space]

Key Takeaways:

Axiom Space is launching its fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS) with an international crew, led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, despite multiple launch delays.
The Ax-4 mission will conduct a record 60 scientific activities, including extensive human health research, to gain experience and prepare for future commercial operations.
These missions are crucial for Axiom's goal of developing its own commercial Axiom Station, projected to launch its first module in 2027, to serve as a successor to the ISS after its planned decommissioning.

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The developer of a commercial space station on Wednesday plans to launch its fourth private astronaut mission to the orbital laboratory it aims to replace.

Axiom Space—which expects to launch the first module for its Axiom Station in 2027—is leading the approximately two-week International Space Station (ISS) mission, scheduled for liftoff Wednesday at 2:31 a.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying Axiom Mission 4’s (Ax-4) four international crewmembers is expected to dock with the ISS in the early morning Thursday. The rendezvous will be streamed live by Axiom, SpaceX, and NASA. SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew to orbit.