Another Hungarian in space soon

Written by Mirtill Rádonyi

NASA’s 4th Axiom Space mission with international partners is entering the ‘hot’ preparation phase.

As a member of the mission, Hungarian research astronaut Tibor Kapu will be able to launch from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida towards the International Space Station in spring 2025 at the earliest. The crew of the Ax-4 mission includes US commander Peggy Whitson, Polish mission specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (centre) and Indian pilot Shubanshu Shukla (left).

At a press conference, Kapu pointed out that a Hungarian was flying into space again after 45 years. This strengthens the country’s international position in the field of space research, he said. He emphasised that the first Hungarian cosmonaut Bertalan Farkas had given him a lot of good advice and that, in addition to the Hungarian flag and some specialities of Hungarian cuisine, he was taking an object with him that had already accompanied the first Hungarian astronaut into space. With regard to the HUNOR programme, he explained that Hungary is a small country, but its history is significant and its dreams are big. ‘Only a few people speak our language, but we have many talented compatriots.’

For this reason, Hungary decided to launch a new space programme in 2021. The aim of the programme is to boost the domestic space sector and create excellent career opportunities to stimulate interest in space science, especially among the younger generation. HUNOR builds on space science traditions such as space nutrition, life sciences and radiology. Following an open call for proposals, Kapu will carry out the unique scientific and technological experiments of Hungarian universities, research workshops and companies on the space station, utilising the special environmental conditions of weightlessness and space.