BUDAPEST, June 25 (Xinhua) -- A SpaceX spacecraft was successfully launched on Wednesday, carrying Tibor Kapu, the first Hungarian astronaut to conduct a research mission on the International Space Station (ISS).
In a live message from the Dragon capsule, Kapu expressed his gratitude: "Fifteen million Hungarians lifted me to this moment." "Your support is like an ember under gray ash -- glowing quietly, but ready to blaze when the spark is lit."
"The sky is the limit. A Hungarian is in space again. Go, Tibor Kapu!" Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted on his Facebook page, alongside the live stream link of Hungarian media, as the whole nation focused on the historic moment for renewed presence in human spaceflight.
Kapu acts as a research astronaut in the commercial space mission organized by Axiom Space, an American privately funded space infrastructure developer. Other crew members include Peggy Whitson of the United States, Shubhanshu Shukla of India and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS on Thursday.
A diverse array of experiments will be conducted by the Hungarian astronaut to explore different aspects of space science and material science, which "will advance our understanding of space and its effects on various biological and physical processes," said Axiom Space in a recent statement.
Kapu was selected by Hungary's Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) program after a rigorous multi-stage selection process. The country's first astronaut, Bertalan Farkas, flew to space in May 1980 as a crew member of a Soviet-led mission. Hungarian-born U.S. businessman Charles Simonyi paid to visit space and the ISS in 2009.
HUNOR was part of Hungary's space strategy adopted in 2021, aiming to strengthen the country's position in the increasingly competitive global space sector by developing domestic capabilities and fostering innovation. ■
