Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission, launched on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, will carry a historic international crew to the International Space Station (ISS) next Tuesday, June 10, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX’s Dragon capsule was recently photographed preparing for the Ax-4 launch. The Dragon will dock at the ISS on June 11 at approximately 12:30 p.m. ET for a 14-day mission focused on groundbreaking microgravity research.

The Ax-4 crew will be led by Commander Peggy Whitson from the United States. It includes Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and the European Space Agency and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. This mission marks a historic return to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary as each nation sends its first government-sponsored astronauts in over 40 years.

“With a culturally diverse crew, we are not only advancing scientific knowledge but also fostering international collaboration. Our previous missions set the stage, and with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing more nations to low-Earth orbit and expanding humanity’s reach among the stars,” Whitson noted.

The Ax-4 mission’s research portfolio will be Axiom’s most extensive. It includes 60 scientific studies from 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE, and Europe. These studies will advance knowledge in human research, Earth observation, life, and biological and material sciences. Key investigations include supporting astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes, examining microgravity’s impact on the brain, and studying cancer growth, particularly triple-negative breast cancer. Additional research will explore blood stem cells, joint health, blood flow, and astronaut readiness using wearable devices, iPhone software, and AWS Snowcone analytics.

Axiom Space’s partnerships with research organizations and academic institutions aim to deepen understanding of spaceflight’s effects on the human body, with potential applications for Earth-based healthcare. The Ax-4 mission underscores Axiom’s role in redefining access to low-Earth orbit, fostering global collaboration, and advancing microgravity research. As SpaceX’s Dragon enables this historic mission, it reinforces the company’s pivotal role in commercial spaceflight and scientific discovery.

SpaceX will decommission its Dragon spacecraft in response to the intense war of words that President Trump and CEO Elon Musk have entered on various social media platforms today.

President Trump and Musk, who was once considered a right-hand man to Trump, have entered a vicious war of words on Thursday. The issues stem from Musk’s disagreement with the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which will increase the U.S. federal deficit, the Tesla and SpaceX frontman says.

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The insults and threats have been brutal, as Trump has said he doesn’t know if he’ll respect Musk again, and Musk has even stated that the President would not have won the election in November if it were not for him.

President Trump then said later in the day that:

“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Government Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

Musk’s response was simple: he will decommission the SpaceX capsule responsible for transporting crew and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS): Dragon.

🚨 Elon says Dragon will be decommissioned immediately due to President Trump’s threats to terminate SpaceX’s government contracts https://5023w.roads-uae.com/XNB0LflZIy

— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) June 5, 2025

Dragon has completed 51 missions, 46 of which have been to the ISS. It is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth’s orbit. It is the only spacecraft that is capable of returning vast amounts of cargo to Earth. It is also the first private spacecraft to take humans to the ISS.

The most notable mission Dragon completed is one of its most recent, as SpaceX brought NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth after being stranded at the ISS by a Boeing Starliner capsule.

SpaceX’s reluctance to participate in federally funded projects may put the government in a strange position. It will look to bring Boeing back in to take a majority of these projects, but there might be some reluctance based on the Starliner mishap with Wilmore and Williams.

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SpaceX celebrated its 500th Falcon rocket launch with the Starlink 11-22 mission, a midweek flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The milestone was achieved with a Falcon 9 liftoff on Wednesday at 4:40 p.m. PDT (7:40 p.m. EDT, 2340 UTC). It also coincided with the 15th anniversary of the first Falcon 9 launch, underscoring the company’s dominance in the commercial space sector. The Starlink 11-22 mission, SpaceX’s 50th Starlink launch of 2025, highlights the company’s focus on expanding its satellite internet constellation.

Earlier this week, Elon Musk revealed SpaceX anticipates $15.5 billion in revenue this year, surpassing NASA’s $1.1 billion budget for 2026.

SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets have driven down launch costs, securing a significant share of the global launch market. In 2024, the company set a record with 134 Falcon launches, making it the world’s most active launch operator. SpaceX aims to surpass this with 170 launches by year-end, fueled by growing demand for satellite deployments. The Starlink constellation is a key revenue driver for SpaceX and remains central to these ambitions. Musk has hinted at a future public offering for Starlink without specifying a timeline.

Beyond Falcon rockets, SpaceX is advancing its 400-foot Starship system, which Musk envisions as critical for Mars missions. The company’s cost-effective launch services and satellite communications have outpaced traditional space agencies, leveraging commercial demand to fund its interplanetary goals. While NASA focuses on deep space exploration, SpaceX’s revenue model thrives on frequent, reliable launches and Starlink’s expanding reach.

“I would like to thank everyone out there who has bought Starlink because you’re helping secure the future of civilization, making life multi-planetary, and helping make humanity a space-exploring civilization,” Musk said during his Road to Making Life Multiplanetary discussion.

The 500th Falcon launch marks a pivotal moment for SpaceX, reflecting its transformative impact on space access. As the company pushes toward record-breaking launch targets and multi-planetary aspirations, Starlink’s growth continues to fuel its vision, positioning SpaceX as a leader in shaping the future of space exploration and connectivity.