“Small Nations Can Dream the Biggest Dreams,” Says Tibor Kapu on ISS

The Ax-4 mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida toward the International Space Station (ISS) with Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu on board on June 25, Wednesday, at 8:31 a.m. Central European Time. The mission, commanded by American Peggy Whitson, includes Indian pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and Polish mission specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski in addition to Tibor Kapu. Following a successful docking maneuver on Thursday morning, the scientific part of the mission can begin, during which the crew will conduct around sixty experiments.

At 12:31 p.m. Central European Time on June 26, the Dragon spacecraft carrying the Ax-4 mission crew, including Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS).

Earlier, prior to docking, Kapu addressed Hungarians in a video message. In the video posted on the HUNOR Facebook page, the astronaut said:

I would like to address all Hungarians from outer space. I know how much you have been waiting for these moments at home, and we felt the same way. The only thing I regret about the entire mission and preparation is that when the moments of anticipation happened at home, in our small country, I could not be with you.

But that will happen soon after the mission. I am incredibly grateful and proud to be here as a Hungarian, and it was a special feeling to see our small country from space a few minutes ago. I hope you will be as proud of this mission as I am. See you soon.”

The spacecraft carrying the crew of Axiom Space’s fourth commercial mission docked with the ISS 28 hours after its successful launch on Wednesday morning. After security checks, leak tests, pressure equalization, and opening the airlock, the four-member crew arrived at the ISS via the Harmony module.

The mission members were greeted by the seven-member ISS crew. At the welcome event, ISS commander Takuya Onishi said that it was a great honor to have “a legendary astronaut like Peggy Whitson” join them, and congratulated Shubhanshu Shukla, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Tibor Kapu on their first space flight. He pointed out that there are now 11 astronauts from six countries on the space station, working together internationally to advance space exploration and science.

From Earth to orbit, cultures, crews, and missions unite 250 miles above our world. A heartfelt welcome to the #Ax4 crew as they join Expedition 73 aboard the International @Space_Station. pic.twitter.com/6cyfNkcx9S

— NASA’s Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) June 26, 2025

Peggy Whitson, commander of the Ax-4 mission, said that through the experiences of the “three newbies,” she could relive what it was like to arrive in space for the first time. After her speech, she presented the Ax-4 mission members with their astronaut pins. Tibor Kapu received number 636.

Speaking in Hungarian, Tibor Kapu said:

I welcome everyone from outer space: for the first time since 2009, Hungarian words are being spoken aboard the International Space Station. After Charles Simonyi, who has been here twice, I will be the next person to speak Hungarian within these walls.”

He also mentioned that although less than 30 hours had passed since the launch, he had already had the opportunity to talk to his parents for a few minutes, who told him what they saw of Earth as they left it.

Charles Simonyi is a Hungarian-American software engineer, who in April 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-10, became the second Hungarian in space. In March 2009, aboard Soyuz TMA-14, he made a second trip to the International Space Station.

About the next two weeks, he said that they are not only participating in a scientific mission:

We are not only going to conduct experiments, but we are also here to inspire. I would like to show that even a small nation like this can accomplish something this big and huge.”

“I believe that small nations can dream the biggest dreams,” said the Hungarian astronaut, adding that he was extremely grateful and proud to be here as a Hungarian.

Following the successful docking, the scientific part of the mission has begun, during which the crew will conduct some 60 scientific experiments and research projects on the ISS. Of these, Tibor Kapu will conduct a total of 25 experiments on behalf of Hungarian universities, research centers, and companies.

An experiment to be conducted by Kapu was provided by the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network. According to their press release,

the Hungarian astronaut will investigate a new tracking method in space, the results of which may be useful in space navigation, the coordination of space vehicles, docking, and maintenance work.

According to the information provided, the HUNOR IMU-DRS (IMU – Dead Reckoning in Space) experiment will examine navigation in weightlessness based solely on data provided by accelerometers and gyroscope sensors. Since the measuring instruments are manufactured and tested under Earth’s gravitational conditions, it is very important to be able to characterize the behavior of the sensors providing the data in weightlessness.

Tibor Kapu’s Historic Mission: A Conversation about Hungary’s Ambitions in Space