Four private visitors to the International Space Station on the Axiom Space Ax-4 mission are returning to Earth, returning home with the latest SpaceX Crew Dragon, making their first return home.
Former NASA astronaut and now an Axiom Space employee, Peggy Whitson, climbed the crew Dragon Grace along with Indian clients Shubhanshu Shukla, Sławoszuzna Amazing, Hungary’s Poland and Tybor Kap early on Monday.
They weren’t closed from the station at 7:15am EDT, but now the quartet is cleaning up almost another day before a planned splashdown off the California coast at 5:30am. Tuesday. They had arrived at the station on June 26th after being released by the Kennedy Space Center a day ago.
Axiom Space is the fourth flight to visit the station, all with the help of SpaceX, bringing home the crew’s dragon spaceship for the 17th time since 2020, but it’s the first time for the fifth dragon in the SpaceX fleet.
“Thank you for your support. You guys are amazing,” Whitson told the crew at the space station after departure, her voice shaking as she heard, and added as soon as the dragon drifted far away. “The station looks beautiful.”
For 65-year-old Whitson, that means she rose in space for 695 days when she flew on three NASA missions and the two flew to the space station for axiom space. She already held records in space for most days, for Americans and most women. She was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame a few weeks before its release.
For her three clients, it marked the end of their first spaceflight, and for the first time in over 40 years, their three governments sent someone into space.
They joined the other seven crew members aboard the station for a departure ceremony on Sunday.
The Dragon is currently aiming to exclude ock at ~7:15 am at pic.twitter.com/fnp0xwibe2
– SpaceX (@Spacex) July 14, 2025
“We really enjoyed your company,” said Expedition Commander 73 and Jakusa Astronaut Takuya Onysia. “And thank you for bringing so much joy, excitement, inspiration and other positive ways to make our experience even better here.
Whitson said he enjoyed the 18 days on which the AX-4 crew was on board. They conducted over 60 experiments during their stay and brought home over 580 pounds of science and hardware.
“It’s always great to work with the many professionals you have, but it’s even more special to work even deeper with those who have become our friends,” she said. “And we’re really grateful for the camaraderie and the fact that the teachings you all provided to the crew were truly exceptional.”
Capu has become more heavily on the importance of missions.
“I think the outcomes and impact of this mission will be much greater than the scientific outcomes we achieve,” he said. “So now we’re going home and we’re spreading the word to our country that these things are within our reach. These things are possible even in a small country like us.”
A visit by the AX-4 crew meant that for some time the space station was represented by six countries from six space agencies on three continents.
“Back from here, I have so many memories and I’m trying to learn from this mission,” Shukla said. “But one thing that really sticks to me is what humanity can do. When we all come from different parts of the world and work for a common goal or a common goal, it’s really incredible.”
Original issue: July 14th, 2025, 7:08am EDT
