An historic mission began early on Wednesday (25 June) as astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) for their countries’ first-ever visit. They were joined by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson.
The crew lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at approximately 2:30 a.m. EDT, embarking on a mission organized by Texas-based startup Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX.
The four astronauts - Peggy Whitson of the U.S., Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary - were carried aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocket.
This launch marked the first Crew Dragon flight since Elon Musk briefly considered retiring the spacecraft amid political tensions earlier this month.
After a roughly 28-hour flight, the capsule is expected to dock with the ISS, orbiting 402 kilometres (250 miles) above Earth.
Onboard, the crew will spend 14 days conducting microgravity research alongside the station’s current seven occupants - three Americans, one Japanese, and three Russian cosmonauts.
For India, Poland, and Hungary, this mission represents a major milestone: their first human spaceflight missions to the ISS in more than 40 years. The flight also acts as a stepping stone for India’s Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft, planned for launch in 2027.
Leading the crew is Peggy Whitson, a retired NASA astronaut and the first woman to command two ISS expeditions. With 675 days in space - the U.S. record - Whitson now serves as Axiom’s director of human spaceflight.
The mission was delayed by one day due to the weather but successfully launched early Wednesday, marking the fourth private astronaut flight arranged by Axiom since 2022 as the company expands its commercial space endeavours.
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Armenia's parliament has passed a new law raising the requirements for citizens living abroad to vote in national elections, following concerns over alleged efforts to influence last month's parliamentary vote through Armenian citizens residing in Russia.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
Iran and the U.S. have concluded indirect talks in Doha without a major breakthrough, with discussions focused on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and frozen Iranian funds. Both sides are expected to meet again after the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Eight Buddhist monks were killed and more than 20 others injured after an 11-year-old boy driving his parents' pickup truck ploughed into a religious procession in north-eastern Thailand, police said.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
Humanity’s return to the Moon is about far more than planting flags and collecting samples. Under NASA’s Artemis programme, the goal is to establish a lasting human presence, with lunar rovers set to play a vital role in making that vision possible.
American technology company Snap has launched its first augmented-reality (AR) glasses for consumers, marking a major push into wearable computing as tech firms race to redefine personal devices in the AI era.
The Canadian government has introduced a digital safety bill that would ban children under the age of 16 from using social media, unless platforms meet specific safety standards.
NASA has named three American astronauts and one Italian astronaut to fly on its Artemis III mission, a major orbital test planned for late next year that will evaluate lunar landing vehicles developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
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