Crew Dragon docks with space station with four astronauts

 The Crew Dragon capsule, carrying the first Indian astronaut to enter the International Space Station, docked with the orbiting station on Thursday, according to live images broadcast by Axiom, the private American company organizing the Axiom-4 mission.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched Wednesday morning. The Dragon capsule contacted the station at 10:31 GMT, according to live images broadcast by Axiom.

"Grace is thrilled to be onboard Harmony," said American astronaut Peggy Whitson, the mission commander and a former NASA employee who now works for Axiom Space, a private spaceflight services company.

Grace is the capsule's nickname, and Harmony is the name of the station module to which the spacecraft docked.

"We're honored to be here," Whitson added. "Thank you."

The SpaceX capsule carries four astronauts, three of whom will represent their countries on its first mission to the International Space Station. They are a Polish, a Hungarian, and an Indian, embodying New Delhi's space ambitions, which aim to conduct its first manned space flight in 2027. An American astronaut is also on board.

The mission includes Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Polish astronaut Sławosz Osnański-Wisniewski, Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kabo, and American astronaut Peggy Whitson.

Shukla, 39, is expected to make history for his country by becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station and the second to reach orbit after Rakesh Sharma, who visited the Soviet Salyut 7 space station in 1984.

During this stay, the crew will conduct approximately 60 scientific experiments, including experiments on microscopic algae and tardigrades, microscopic organisms known for their remarkable ability to survive in extreme conditions.

The last spaceflights by India, Poland, or Hungary were more than 40 years ago.

This mission comes after the major dispute that erupted in early June between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, during which the billionaire threatened to decommission the Crew Dragon capsule before backing down.

The capsule is operated by Axiom and also plays an important role for NASA, as it is the only American vehicle certified to date to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.