After several delays, Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is finally set to make his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday as part of a four-member crew aboard SpaceX’s Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). The private spaceflight, organized by Axiom Space, will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:31 am local time (6:31 am GMT).
The mission, riding a brand-new SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket, will lift off from the iconic Launch Complex 39A, the same site used for Apollo and Space Shuttle launches. SpaceX has reported a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for the scheduled launch window.
Shukla will serve as the mission’s pilot, marking a significant milestone as he becomes only the second Indian astronaut to travel to space — 40 years after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s landmark mission in 1984. The 39-year-old fighter pilot was handpicked by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to represent India on this international commercial mission.
Joining him on board are American astronaut Peggy Whitson, a veteran of multiple NASA missions and now mission commander for Axiom Space; Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland; and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, both flying as mission specialists.
The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS on Thursday at around 11:00 am GMT and the crew will stay aboard the orbital outpost for up to 14 days. During their stay, the astronauts will participate in scientific research, technology demonstrations, and international outreach activities.
The Ax-4 mission is part of a growing wave of commercial spaceflight initiatives, as companies like Axiom Space collaborate with national space agencies to expand human presence in low-Earth orbit and beyond.
This mission also highlights India’s growing profile in the global space arena, as it prepares for future indigenous human spaceflight missions under ISRO’s Gaganyaan program.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)