ARISS will once again play a key role in space outreach when the Ax-4 mission launches to
the International Space Station in the next few days with another all-ham crew, led by
record-setting Commander Peggy Whitson (KC5ZTD).
AX-4 Crew: Kapu, Shukla, Whitson, Uznański-Wiśniewski
Credit: Axiom Space
Whitson, who has logged more time in space than any other American astronaut, is on her
second commercial human spaceflight with Axiom Space. She will be flying with three firsttime astronauts, representing India, Poland and Hungary:
- Mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (VU2TNI), India’s second national astronaut to go
to space since 1984 - Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (SQ7AS), European Space Agency
(ESA) project astronaut and the second Polish astronaut since 1978 - Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu (HA5TRO), the second national Hungarian astronaut
since 1980
The crew will spend as long as two weeks on the ISS performing as many as 60 experiments developed by 31 countries, including ham radio contacts that Shukla, Uznański-Wiśniewski and Kapu will use to educate and inspire youth around the world. Currently each of the first-time astronauts is scheduled to have two 10-minute contacts with communities in their home countries during the mission.
ARISS has been a partner for all four Axiom Space flights to the ISS, dating back to the AX-1
in 2022, and three of the four missions to date have featured all-ham crews. Our
participation in AX-4 aligns with our broader goal of using amateur radio to connect youth, educators, and members of the public with the International Space Station. Find out more at our website www.ariss.org