“Ever since we followed our ancestral Chieftain Arpad to a new homeland, we have been pushing our boundaries and expanding our possibilities—in the East and the West and in the old and the new world alike. With each new achievement, we prove the doubters wrong and show again what Hungarians are capable of. This time, it’s space travel. The sky is the limit—both for Tibor Kapu and for Hungary. Together to the stars—and beyond!” Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted on social media .
As previously reported, at around 12:30 p.m. Hungarian time on June 26, the SpaceX Dragon Grace spacecraft successfully docked with the space-facing port of the International Space Station (ISS). The operation was carried out fully automatically, although the American commander and the Indian pilot would have been able to intervene manually if necessary.
Following its launch, the Dragon reached orbit in just under nine minutes and, after 46 minutes, executed an acceleration maneuver that brought it within 10 kilometers of the ISS. Another maneuver on the far side of the Earth was required to enter a proper orbit.
After docking, there was pressure equalization and system checks before Tibor Kapu and his crewmates could board the space station after all safety checks were completed.
During his two-week stay, Tibor Kapu will participate in nearly thirty scientific experiments in medicine, materials science, radiation research, physiology and agricultural technology. In addition to the Hungarian HUNOR Program's own research projects, nearly sixty experiments from thirty-one countries will be conducted on the ISS as part of the international Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4).
