Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others aboard the Dragon spacecraft ahead of the launch of the Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station, at the Kennedy Space Centre, in Florida, USA. (X/@Axiom_Space)
Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom-4 mission (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS) lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday (June 25, 2025).
The mission expected to dock at International Space Station on Thursday (June 26) at 4:30 p.m. IST, capping a 28-hour journey.
The much-delayed launch of the Axiom-4 mission was set for 12:01 p.m. IST, and SpaceX has announced that the weather is 90% favourable for lift-off.
The Lucknow-born Mr. Shukla, former NASA astronaut Mission Commander Peggy Whitson, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary are part of the Axiom-4 mission that marks the return to space for the three nations.
Mr. Shukla will be the first astronaut to travel to the International Space Station, a journey that comes 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s eight days in orbit as part of the then Soviet Union’s Salyut-7 space station in 1984.
The four astronauts boarded the new Dragon spacecraft, which was on its maiden voyage, placed on top of the Falcon 9 spacecraft of SpaceX, the transport provider for the mission.
SpaceX has said that the Axiom-4 mission crew is ready for launch to the International Space Station as the Dragon’s hatch has closed and all communication and suit checks have been completed.
“Dragon’s hatch is closed, all communication and suit checks are complete, the seats are rotated, and the Ax-4 crew is ready for launch,” SpaceX posted on X.
Published – June 25, 2025 12:06 pm IST