Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu is scheduled to depart for the International Space Station on 25 June from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The expedition will be commanded by Peggy Whitson, a world record-breaking American astronaut, and piloted by Shubhanshu Shukla of India. They will be joined by two mission specialists: the Hungarian research astronaut and Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski. In the framework of the HUNOR programme, Kapu will carry out experiments of Hungarian relevance and scientific initiatives of Hungarian universities, research groups and companies in space. The mission will put not only the Hungarian space sector, but also Hungary in a competitive position internationally in one of the most dynamic industries of the 21st century. Space research and the space industry is a highly developed scientific and technological sector in which there is fierce international competition between countries and private companies. This competition can be seen from a historical perspective and can be compared with the competition for the discovery of the Arctic between great powers and emerging nations in the second half of the 19th century, in which Hungary was also involved.
Tibor Kapu’s space expedition is a milestone in several respects. After 45 years, Hungary has an astronaut again. Beyond that, the so-called HUNOR programme addresses both the 2025 space mission and the competencies needed for space activities in a complex way, and strengthens Hungary’s position in the increasingly fierce international competition in space activities. Tibor Kapu’s expedition is also a milestone in that only 23 countries have sent astronauts to the International Space Station until April 2025. No one from Hungary, Poland or India has ever been to the International Space Station. Such expeditions are also of great importance because they give the participating country the right to participate in the scientific discourse on space and to enter a particularly high added-value industry. Uncharted territories with extreme conditions have historically inspired technological competition between great powers or have been proving grounds for emerging nations. A spectacular example of this phenomenon was the discovery of the Arctic from the last third of the 19th century onwards, which remained a site of scientific competition during the Cold War. Hungary was also involved in the international competition of the time, in which the Austro-Hungarian expedition of 1872-1874 was an important milestone, both domestically and internationally.
What is the HUNOR programme?
The Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) national research astronaut programme was established as part of the space strategy adopted in 2021, which aims to preserve and develop Hungary’s competences for space activities and strengthen its position in the increasingly competitive international space environment. The programme was open to candidates with the ambition to become astronauts, from whom Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer, was selected on 26 May 2024 after a complex and rigorous screening and preparation process. Gyula Cserényi, an electrical engineer, was selected for the backup research astronaut position.
The historic significance of the event is that it is the first time in 45 years that a Hungarian astronaut is able to go into space. In the framework of the HUNOR programme, the Hungarian research astronaut will carry out experiments of Hungarian relevance and scientific initiatives of Hungarian universities, research groups and companies in space. The mission will put not only the Hungarian space sector, but also Hungary in a competitive position internationally in one of the most dynamic industries of the 21st century.
How many countries’ astronauts have visited the International Space Station?
Until 14 April 2025, astronauts from only 23 countries had visited the International Space Station. Far ahead of any other country, the largest number of astronauts, 169, have been from the United States. Russia is in second place with 63 astronauts, followed by Japan (11) and Canada (9). Of the larger European countries, Italy (6), France and Germany (4-4) have sent the most astronauts to the International Space Station. Three countries have sent 2 astronauts each and 14 countries have sent 1 astronaut, including the United Kingdom, Spain and Israel.
Astronauts by country who have been to the International Space Station until April 2025, and the space expedition in June 2025 with Hungarian participation. The figure can be referenced here: https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24050784/
Hungary, Poland and India, the participants (including Tibor Kapu) of the Axiom Mission 4 (or Ax-4), which was launched on 25 June 2025, have joined this line-up. The fact that it has been almost half a century since a Polish astronaut last went into space, in 1978, adds a further dimension to the mission. The world is also watching the expedition because of Peggy Whitson. The American astronaut holds several spaceflight records: she is the woman with the most spacewalks, and therefore the woman as well as American astronaut with the longest time spent in space. She is also the first woman ever to command the International Space Station twice.
Arctic Fever was the space race of the late 19th century
Uncharted territories with extreme conditions have historically inspired technological competition between great powers or been proving grounds for emerging nations. A striking example of this phenomenon was the discovery of the Arctic in the last third of the 19th century, and the Cold War scientific rivalry in the region between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies. This scientific struggle, which began in the second half of the 19th century, is also known as the “space race” of the period. Many of the nations competing to explore the region still have a significant interest in it or even hold territories. The latter include the United States, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Russia. Norway’s famous polar explorers also played an important role in the country gaining its independence. Other countries that do not have territories in the Arctic have maintained a centuries-old interest in the region and have for decades been observers in the Arctic Council, the main international forum for Arctic affairs. These countries include the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany and Italy.
The so-called Arctic fever – the race to explore the Arctic – is also of domestic significance. Hungary was part of the international race in the 19th century. Among these activities, the Austro-Hungarian expedition of 1872-1874, which was jointly financed by Austria and Hungary, and which also had a Hungarian participant, Gyula Kepes, was an important milestone from both a domestic and an international point of view. Hungarian scientists also participated in the so-called first International Polar Year, which refers to an international scientific collaboration in which scientific researchers from different nations study Arctic phenomena from the perspective of various scientific disciplines, such as climate research, physics, biology or oceanography. The idea for the collaboration was the brainchild of Karl Weyprecht, leader of the Austro-Hungarian Arctic expedition. The importance of the scientific initiative, in which Hungary was also involved, is shown by the fact that preparations are already underway for the next polar year in 2032-2033.
