Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu arrives at space station aboard Ax-4 mission
Kapu joins international Ax-4 crew for two-week research mission aboard the ISS
Axiom Space’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – carrying Hungary’s Tibor Kapu and three international crewmates – successfully docked with the International Space Station on Wednesday, according to a handout from the Hungarian News Agency (MTI).
Automated docking and orbital arrival
The docking occurred at 12:31 p.m. Central European Time at the space-facing port of the ISS’s Harmony module, roughly 28 hours after launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dragon capsule, named Grace, is the newest in SpaceX’s fleet.
The spacecraft followed a fully autonomous docking sequence as it approached the ISS, which orbits Earth at an altitude of about 400 to 420 kilometers. Using onboard navigation systems – radars, cameras, LIDAR and GPS – the capsule maneuvered itself into position under the constant supervision of mission control in Houston.
The crew had no direct control over the docking but remained on standby to intervene manually if necessary.
Crew welcomed aboard ISS
After a series of standard safety procedures – including leak checks and pressure equalization – the hatch was opened at 2:23 p.m. CET. The Ax-4 astronauts floated through the Harmony module and officially joined the station’s seven-member crew.
The teams marked the moment with a group photo aboard the ISS.
The Ax-4 crew includes mission commander Peggy Whitson (United States), pilot Subhansu Sukla (India), mission specialist Sławosz Uznanski-Wiśniewski (Poland), and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, participating through the HUNOR space program.
Two-week research mission in orbit
The crew is scheduled to spend 14 days aboard the ISS, conducting around 60 scientific experiments and research projects in microgravity across a range of disciplines.
The Ax-4 mission launched Tuesday at 8:31 a.m. local time from Cape Canaveral and marks another milestone in the rise of commercial spaceflight and international participation.
Featured image: The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Kennedy Space Center on June 25, 2025. Axiom Space / MTI
