 "Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission eyes June 25 launch after many delays")
After multiple delays and technical snags, Indian Air Force pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is finally set to launch into space aboard the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) early Wednesday morning (India time). Nasa, Axiom Space, and SpaceX confirmed the new launch window at 12:01 pm IST on June 25 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida.
This will mark India’s return to human spaceflight after more than four decades, since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew on a Soviet mission in 1984. Shukla’s maiden flight aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will make him the second Indian in space.
Reasons for the series of delays of Axiom-4
The Axiom-4 launch has been put-off multiple times since its original launch date of May 29. This has been due to Florida’s unpredictable weather, as well as technical issues both on the Falcon-9 rocket and the ISS. Initial delays came from oxidiser leaks and thruster issues on the Falcon-9, prompting concerns from the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). Insisting on a full-scale repair rather than a temporary fix, Isro’s 13-member team at Kennedy Space Centre pushed for rectifications, which SpaceX completed to their satisfaction.
Later, complications arose aboard the ISS itself, where Nasa engineers detected a pressure anomaly on the ageing Russian module. These were addressed to prevent placing extra burden on the station’s current seven-member crew, especially with the arrival of four more astronauts.
Nasa has now cleared the launch for June 25, with docking scheduled for 4:30 pm IST on June 26, subject to favourable weather conditions.
India’s costliest space seat yet
The Axiom-4 mission, a commercial initiative operated by Houston-based Axiom Space, includes astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland, and the US. Group Captain Shukla will serve as the pilot under mission commander Dr Peggy Whitson who is a veteran Nasa astronaut and the most experienced American in space with 675 days logged.
Polish engineer Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungarian biophysicist Tibor Kapu will serve as mission specialists. The team will spend roughly two weeks aboard the ISS conducting over 60 scientific experiments, including seven proposed by Indian researchers. Shukla will also participate in a live outreach session from the orbit.
India is believed to have paid approximately ₹550 crore for Shukla’s seat, one of the most expensive ever for a commercial spaceflight. The mission has been informally named Akash Ganga.
Group Captain Shukla is currently under quarantine and medically cleared for the journey. If launched as scheduled, his flight will be a historic step forward for India's ambitions in space exploration.