HUNOR, the Hungarian space program, focuses on research projects in dosimetry, space nutrition, life sciences, as well as human biology.Continue reading
Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu will be launched to board the International Space Station (ISS) on May 29, 2025, announced Orsolya Ferencz, Ministerial Commissioner for Space Research, in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday.
The announcement has been officially made, the crew of the Axiom 4 mission, including Hungarian Tibor Kapu, will be launched to board the International Space Station on May 29, said Orsolya Ferencz. She added that
this historic moment marks the end of a nearly two-year selection and training process in Hungary, followed by eight months of mission-specific preparation in the United States.
Ferencz noted that in the U.S. training program, Tibor Kapu and his reserve, Gyula Cserényi, rose to the top of the world by meeting the most stringent requirements of NASA, Spacex, and Axiom Space.
“After completing his training, Tibor Kapu is ready for the mission. Hungary can once again prove its perseverance and commitment in this scientific program. After many decades, the Hungarian flag will once again fly into space,” she said.
Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu will launch to the @Space_Station on May 29, 2025, announced Space Commissioner Dr. Orsolya Ferencz. His flight with the Axiom-4 crew marks the conclusion of a nearly two-year Hungarian selection and an eight-month U.S. training program. Mr.… pic.twitter.com/WfpH4bRLjH
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) April 29, 2025
Axiom Space and the European Space Agency (ESA) also announced at an online press conference on Tuesday that the launch of the rocket is scheduled for 7:03 p.m. Central European Time at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Axiom Misson 4 (Ax-4) astronauts will be carried to the ISS by the Falcon 9 rocket, manufactured by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.
In addition to Kapu, the mission crew also includes U.S. Commander Peggy Whitson, Polish Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Indian pilot Shubanshu Shukla.
At the briefing, Balázs Nagy, Director of Research and Development of the HUNOR (Hungarian to the Orbit space program), said that
Kapu will carry out about 25 experiments that have been developed by Hungarian universities, research institutes, and private companies.
Mark your calendars
The #Ax4 crew is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on May 29 at 1:03pm EDT from Florida. https://t.co/fYRkWZEpkK— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) April 29, 2025
In total, about 60 scientific experiments from 31 countries will be carried out on the mission, which is a record, as Axiom Space has never carried out so many experiments on the ISS during its missions. Experiments will include medicine, cancer research, and diabetes, for instance, paving the way for the first type 2 diabetic astronaut to be sent into space, and the results of this research could be useful in treating the disease.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Axiom Space