Tibor Kapu Bids Farewell to the International Space Station

Tibor Kapu, Hungary’s second astronaut, bid farewell in an emotional live broadcast from the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts of the Ax-4 mission reported live from space via Axiom Space’s social media page to summarize the successes and memories of their mission before returning to Earth.

A wonderful journey is coming to an end. It is now almost certain that Tibor Kapu will begin his journey home today, June 14, and will land off the coast of California on Tuesday, July 15.

Before the Hungarian astronaut’s speech, mission commander Peggy Whitson summarized her own experiences and paid tribute to the Ax-4 mission. Tibor Kapu began his farewell in English, noting, “I might cry too.”

Ax-4 Mission | Farewell Ceremony https://t.co/QGDDfXD84R

— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) July 13, 2025

The Hungarian research astronaut highlighted the mission’s achievements, including increasingly better photos of the crew from Earth, but also added that the space flight was accompanied by many funny videos. Kapu smiled as he looked at his comrades floating in zero gravity and emphasized the broad support they had received. “Many people on the ground were proud of us. Colleagues and employees cheered us on, children were enthusiastic about what we were doing. We made friends,” he emphasized.

We don’t get in our flight suits often, but chance had us all decked out so we took advantage and took some photos with our new crewmates.

In this picture we have eight astronauts representing the United States, Japan, India, Hungary and Poland. It’s been a pleasure getting to… pic.twitter.com/l3AWgG9quD

— Jonny Kim (@JonnyKimUSA) July 13, 2025

Kapu underscored the importance of the crew’s collaboration on the ISS and the profound impact of their work. “We did it. We made what was written a reality. We were people who worked together on the International Space Station in the name of science – efficiently, peacefully, with a common goal. It was a great mission, and we enjoyed it immensely.

The results and impact of this mission will be much, much greater than what we achieve scientifically. Now we are returning home and will say: Such things are entirely possible – even for smaller countries,”

the Hungarian astronaut continued.

Kapu then switched to Hungarian to address a direct message to his compatriots. Although his access to news was limited, he had heard that a lot had happened at home. “I can only tell you what has happened here on board the space station over the last three weeks. There was a lot of work, a lot of science, a lot of ideas, and a lot of perseverance to make this program a success. I sincerely hope that you are as proud of me and the program as I was proud of our researchers,” he explained.

The research astronaut emphasized that thanks to the work on the ISS, Hungary is now back on the map of space:

Hungary has returned to the map of space in recent weeks, and believe me, it is very visible from up here.

In recent weeks, Hungary has made years of progress in areas such as biology, dosimetry, nutrition science, product development, and so on.”

Kapu formulated a personal message to the Hungarian nation. He expressed the wish that the HUNOR program be the beginning of something great. To achieve this, everyone should believe that Hungarians are capable of extraordinary things. He used everyday examples to emphasize the importance of perseverance and determination. “If a child wants to dance, they should go dancing; if a child wants to play chess, they should go play chess, but if mom says there is no TV until homework is done, then please do your homework and watch TV afterwards.

Because we Hungarians have already shown at the Olympic Games, at world championships, and now also in space that we can make the almost impossible possible. And such talents are needed not only in space, but in all areas of life,”

he explained.

“So, this time we are going home, and I promise I will tell you everything that happened in the last three weeks, but only if you tell me what it was like to follow this mission from Hungary, our homeland. See you at home,” the Hungarian astronaut concluded his emotional speech.

#Ax4 is preparing for their journey home. Tune in for the Hatch Closing broadcast tomorrow at 03:30 AM CT, followed by the Dragon Undocking broadcast at 05:45 AM CT. https://t.co/c6KEEzByFV pic.twitter.com/F7fspl7S2v

— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) July 13, 2025

Featured image: Facebook/Kapu Tibor