After its seventh attempt, the Axiom crewed mission takes off with a record number of experiments on board.

MIAMI—Axiom Space's fourth space mission launched Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in central Florida, marking a record number of scientific experiments onboard for a private launch and the return of astronauts from India, Hungary, and Poland to space after more than four decades.

The Ax-4 mission departed - as scheduled - at 02:31 local time (06:31 GMT) from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station (ISS), where the four astronauts will remain for fourteen days and conduct more than sixty scientific studies that are supported by 31 countries, including the United States, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.

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Highlights include research on the impact of microgravity on diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and muscle degeneration, as well as experiments with microalgae, biometric sensors, seed cultures, radiation, 3D printing, and human cognition in space.

This is also the first trip for SpaceX's Dragon capsule, which transports astronauts to the International Space Station, following the clash between company founder Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump.

The probe launched after six postponements. The mission was originally scheduled for May 29, but was postponed several times due to technical, weather, and even unforeseen problems on the Russian side of the International Space Station.

At 6:31 GMT, the spacecraft headed toward the International Space Station, and the crucial moments of the launch and entry into orbit were met with applause from NASA's space center and from around the world watching the live broadcast, especially from India, Hungary, and Poland.

Seven minutes after launch, the Falcon 9 rocket - a recoverable and reusable model - from the Space X company that propelled the ship carrying the four astronauts returned to Earth and landed successfully.

The AX-4 mission "is on its way to the Space Station," NASA has confirmed through its official channels, and docking at the space complex is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, at 11:00 GMT.

Images from inside the spacecraft also showed the astronauts' joy after completing the crucial phases of the launch and their first experiences in microgravity conditions.

Expressions of joy and congratulations following the successful launch have begun to pour in from around the world, and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has expressed its satisfaction on social media because "after 41 long years, an Indian astronaut is finally on his way to space."

"Have a safe flight and see you soon on Earth," the Hungarian Space Agency wrote after sending an astronaut of that nationality 45 years later; meanwhile, from Poland, the country's space agency celebrated on social media: "We did it! Poland reached for the stars."

The mission commander is American Peggy Whitson, who worked at NASA and has accumulated a total of 675 days in space, more than any woman in the world and more than any other person from the United States.

The crew is completed by pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, specialist Slawosz Uznanski-Winiewski of Poland, and researcher Tibor Kapu of Hungary, all three first-timers and representatives of the first spaceflight sponsored by their respective governments in more than 40 years.

The mission also symbolizes the growth of international collaboration in space research, with active participation from agencies such as the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the European Space Agency (ESA), and Hungary's Hunor space program, which will conduct 25 of the planned experiments.

It also represents a step toward developing Axiom Station, the first commercial space station, which could eventually become a permanent platform for science, industry, and space exploration as NASA faces a potential 24 percent budget cut next year.