The mission, organised by Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA, is planned to take 14 days and is headed by US astronaut Peggy Whitson. The two other crew members are India's Shubhanshu Shukla and Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski.

With the current mission, Hungary is sending its second astronaut to space, with Bertalan Farkas having visited the Salyut-6 space station in 1980 as the first one.

The crew is scheduled to complete nearly 60 scientific experiments during their journey for 31 countries, with special regard to the study of micro-gravity on low Earth orbit.

The experiments will also include ones in the areas of cancer and diabetes research. Fully 25 experiments will be completed under Hungary's HUNOR scientific programme to learn more about space and its impacts on humans and various materials.
 

The spaceship is scheduled to reach the ISS early on Thursday morning.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Facebook that Hungary sending another astronaut to space was a "huge honour" and wished Kapu success on his mission.

Logging in after take-off, Kapu said he was "grateful and proud to represent Hungary". "Fifteen million people have helped me … you support is like embers under the ash, quietly glowing but unifying in flames when fueled … your voice is louder than our rocket and your strength is greater than gravity … I thank everybody across the world that have contributed to this wonderful day."

Orban has talks with astronaut Kapu

Prime Minister Viktor Orban and astronaut Tibor Kapu, who is currently on a two-week mission at the International Space Station, on Sunday talked about the experiments conducted at the ISS, the HUNOR programme and Hungary's role in the space industry.

According to the footage aired on news channel M1 on Monday, Kapu called it an honour to talk to Orban and "to all viewers through this broadcast". He said he was happy to see that "the most important goal of the mission was already achieved - to reach the Hungarian people."

Orban said: "We are also very proud to see you come this far." He asked Kapu about his opinion on Hungary entering the international space industry, to which Kapu said: "There is no question in my mind about that. I am convinced that small countries are the ones with the greatest dreams."

The space industry is a branch of science and industry where small players can also enter the market, Kapu said, noting that the Axiom-4 mission comprised of a US, an Indian and a Polish astronaut beside himself, "making it an example of international cooperation accomplishing great things."

In the up-and-coming space industry, "every invested forint will turn a six-fold profit," he said. "At the same time, the thought of how many people can be inspired by this is much closer to my heart."

Orban told Kapu that "the world is full of temptation, the good and the bad kind. You are showing our children the good kind of temptations."

Kapu said that Axiom-4, which docked with the ISS on Thursday, brought 60 experiments to be conducted at the station. Kapu is scheduled to conduct 25 of those experiments, mostly in the field of dosimetry, the measurement of ionising radiation. He said he had also sown seeds which will be used in a DNA review at a later stage.

Meet the astronauts of Axiom Mission 4 - in the video below. 
 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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