After multiple rounds of delays and rescheduling, the Axiom-4 mission — which includes Indian astronaut Shubanshu Shukla — is now targeting a probable launch date of June 22, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Wednesday.
Photo: ANI
After multiple rounds of delays and rescheduling, the Axiom-4 mission — which includes Indian astronaut Shubanshu Shukla — is now targeting a probable launch date of June 22, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Wednesday.
In a post on X, ISRO said, “After assessing key parameters including module fitness, crew health, and weather, Axiom Space has indicated that June 22, 2025, may be the next likely launch date of the Axiom-4 mission, carrying, among others, Indian astronaut Shubanshu Shukla to the International Space Station.”
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The decision on the revised launch date was taken following consultations between Axiom Space and teams from ISRO, Poland, and Hungary, along with further discussions with NASA and SpaceX, the agency added.
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SpaceX said the revised launch date would give the American space agency additional time to assess the operations of the Zvezda service module on the ISS. Built by Russia, the module was repaired last week after astronauts onboard detected pressure anomalies.
“The change in a targeted launch date provides NASA time to continue evaluating space station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) segment of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module,” SpaceX said in a statement.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force will serve as the pilot of this mission. Former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight, Peggy Whitson, will command the mission. European Space Agency (ESA) project astronauts, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary are the two mission specialists in the crew.
The four-member crew will launch aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Once aboard the ISS, the crew will conduct more than 60 scientific experiments and demonstrations focused on human research, Earth observation, and life, biological, and material sciences.
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