Ax-4 delayed, India's Shubhanshu Shukla to now travel to ISS on June 8

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's upcoming mission aboard SpaceX's Dragon marks a milestone for India, coming nearly 40 years after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft

The launch of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, originally slated for May 29, has been postponed to June 8, reports news agency PTI. The mission, which includes Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as pilot along with three other crew members, will lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 6:41 pm IST, as announced by Axiom Space, a US-based commercial human spaceflight firm and Nasa. 

Taking to the social media platform X, Nasa said, "After reviewing @Space_Station flight schedule, NASA and its partners are shifting launch opportunities for several upcoming missions. The new targeted no-earlier-than-launch opportunities, pending operational readiness, are: Axiom Mission 4: 9:11 am EDT, Sunday, June 8." 

Shukla joins historic Ax-4 mission, first ISS flight for Poland, Hungary 

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's upcoming space journey aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft marks a historic moment for India, coming nearly 40 years after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.   

 

Shukla is part of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission crew, which also includes astronauts from Poland and Hungary. This mission will be the first to the International Space Station (ISS) for both countries and represents only the second government-backed human spaceflight for each nation in over four decades, according to the report.  

About the Axiom-4 mission 

During the 14-day mission aboard the International Space Station, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will carry out seven experiments aimed at boosting India’s microgravity research capabilities, according to PTI. Isro has designed food-based studies for the mission, including growing fenugreek (methi) and green gram (moong) in space. These efforts support India's broader space ambitions. 

   

According to the report, joining Shukla on the Axiom-4 mission are Slawosz Uznanski, a European Space Agency project astronaut and the second Polish national in space since 1978, and Tibor Kapu, who becomes Hungary’s second astronaut since 1980. The mission will be commanded by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, who holds the record for the most cumulative time spent in space by any American. This will be her second commercial human spaceflight mission.  (With inputs from PTI)