Indian astronaut Shukla Axiom-4 mission set for June 10 lift-off, dock at ISS after 28-hour flight

This handout photograph taken connected September 12, 2024 and released by backstage aerospace institution Axiom Space shows assigned and backup Ax-4 unit members (L to 2nd R) Shubhanshu Shukla, Tibor Kapu, Gyula Cserenyi (partly obscured), Slawosz Uznanski, and Prasanth Nair reviewing materials during exigency occurrence grooming astatine NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) successful Houston, Texas. Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla soars into abstraction June 2025 arsenic the archetypal Indian to articulation the International Space Station, bearing with him New Delhi's dreams of its ain manned abstraction flight. An airforce trial pilot, 39-year-old Shukla is joining a four-crew ngo launching from the United States with backstage institution Axiom Space, onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. (Photo by AXIOM SPACE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / AXIOM SPACE" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS | Photo Credit: -

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and 3 others are acceptable to embark connected Axiom Space's 4th quality spaceflight from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre successful Florida on June 10 and are apt to dock astatine the International Space Station connected June 11 astatine astir 10 PM IST, aft a astir 28-hour journey.

Mr. Shukla, the ngo aviator of the Axiom-4 (Ax4) commercialized ngo to the ISS, volition beryllium accompanied by ngo commandant Peggy Whitson and specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland.

The Axiom-4 ngo volition people India's instrumentality to abstraction 41 years aft Rakesh Sharma's historical spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz ngo successful 1984.

"The unit volition question to the orbiting laboratory connected a caller SpaceX Dragon spacecraft aft launching connected the company's Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking clip is astir 12:30 p.m. EDT (10:00 p.m. IST), Wednesday, June 11," NASA said successful a statement.

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan visited Axiom Space past week to reappraisal the preparations for the spaceflight.

The astronauts person been successful quarantine since May 25 to hole for the travel and person been grooming up of the motorboat connected June 10.

"The #Ax4 unit undergoes extended exigency training, featuring a scope of scenarios specified arsenic underwater flight drills," Axiom Space said successful a station connected X, and shared a video of the grooming programme.

During the 14-day enactment astatine the ISS, the Ax-4 unit is expected to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, schoolhouse students, and abstraction manufacture leaders, among others.

Earlier this week, the unit addressed a property league to springiness an update connected the grooming up of the launch. "We are bully for the launch, we person completed each the grooming and the squad has bonded well," Mr. Whitson said connected Tuesday (June 3, 2025).

Mr. Shukla described the year-long grooming for the spaceflight arsenic "nothing abbreviated of transformative".

"It has been an astonishing travel truthful far, but the champion is yet to come. As I spell into space, I transportation not conscionable instruments and equipment, I transportation hopes and dreams of a cardinal hearts," Mr. Shukla said.

Mr. Shukla is acceptable to behaviour exclusive nutrient and nutrition-related experiments developed nether a collaboration betwixt the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with enactment from NASA.

The experiments purpose to pioneer abstraction nutrition and self-sustaining beingness enactment systems captious for aboriginal long-duration abstraction travel.

ISRO has lined up a acceptable of 7 experiments for Mr. Shukla, who volition besides enactment successful 5 associated studies planned by NASA for its quality probe program.

It has drawn up plans to absorption connected India-centric nutrient for carrying retired experiments connected the ISS, including sprouting methi (Fenugreek) and moong (green gram) successful microgravity conditions.

Mr. Shukla volition besides exposure the seeds to the macrobiotic conditions and bring them backmost to earth, wherever they volition beryllium cultivated into plants not conscionable erstwhile but implicit generations.

Mr. Shukla's acquisition connected the Axiom Mission 4 would beryllium precise good utilised connected the Gaganyaan mission, which is planned for 2027. ISRO is spending ₹550 crore connected the Axiom-4 mission.

Published - June 07, 2025 09:40 p.m. IST