(Radio Iowa) – America’s most experienced astronaut, Iowa native Peggy Whitson, is scheduled to launch Sunday (June 8th) on her fifth mission to the International Space Station, her second mission with the private firm Axiom Space. Whitson will command Ax-4 on a two-week expedition to the orbiting station along with three teammates, all of whom are from different countries. During an Axiom Space news conference, Whitson talked about the historic nature of the flight. “It has been more than 40 years since the first person from India, Poland and Hungary has been to space,” Whitson says, “and through this commercial space opportunity, we are accelerating the national space programs in each of these three countries and creating new pathways for technological advancements.”

While Ax-4 marks their second human spaceflight mission in history, it will be the first time Hungary, India and Poland will execute a mission on board the I-S-S. The 65-year-old Whitson grew up on a farm near Beaconsfield and has already spent 675 days in orbit. She says she has complete confidence in her team of three rookies, adding, they’ll be inspiring a generation of new space explorers in their home countries. “The crew has been training together since August of last year, learning the systems for the International Space Station and Dragon spacecraft, as well as how to respond and address medical and spacecraft emergencies,” Whitson says. “During this time, I’ve also been doing my best to impart some of my almost-40 years worth of space and science experience to these guys.”

This Ax-4 mission is designed to lay the groundwork for what will be called Axiom Station, the first commercial space station, which Whitson says promises to offer a permanent platform for research, manufacturing, and human spaceflight. “For us, obviously those objectives, that training that we do, not only with the crew but with all our ground teams is so important for our end goal, which is Axiom Station,” Whitson says, “which we hope to have as free flyer by no later than 2028.” This latest mission will be packed with science and technology experiments, Whitson says, including one focused on diabetes and insulin-dependant astronauts. Retired from NASA in 2018, Whitson is now Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight, and she notes the Ax-4 mission patch is full of symbolism.

Ax-4 Crew (Axiom Space image)

“The four ascending lines represent the view from a window above our planet, but also the four countries represented by the crew ascending from the Earth to work on the ISS for a common goal,” Whitson says. “The seven stars represent the inclusivity of all continents of the Earth, and finally the gem shape symbolizes how precious humanity is and how we share responsibility to protect and cherish our planet.” Whitson holds the record for the most time spent in space by any American or woman astronaut. She also holds records for the oldest woman spacewalker and the most spacewalks by a woman, with more than 60 cumulative hours of E-V-A — or extravehicular activity.

Launch of Ax-4 is scheduled for 9:11 AM/Eastern on Sunday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will be aboard a Dragon spacecraft, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.