Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others are all set to embark on Axiom Space’s fourth human spaceflight, Axiom-4 mission, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to the International Space Station on Tuesday, June 10.
Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot the Axiom-4 commercial mission, which will be docked at the ISS for 14 days. (X/@Axiom_Space)
The Axiom-4, Ax4, commercial mission, is likely to dock at the ISS on June 11 at about 10 pm IST, after a nearly 28-hour journey.
The mission was earlier scheduled for a lift-off on June 8 but, last week it was pushed by two days, to June 10 instead.
Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot the Ax4 mission and will be accompanied by mission commander Peggy Whitson, along with specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland.
Forty-one years after Rakesh Sharma’s historic spaceflight aboard Russia’s Soyuz mission in 1984, India is set to make its space comeback with the Axiom-4 mission.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said in a statement, “The crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking time is approximately 12:30 pm EDT (10 pm IST), Wednesday, June 11.”
Ahead of the mission’s launch, SpaceX rolled out the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft to the launch pad in Florida on Saturday.
The Dragon spacecraft was seen integrated atop the Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
Meanwhile, last week, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan visited Axiom Space to review the preparations for the spaceflight.
Shukla and the other three astronauts have been in quarantine since May 25 in preparation for their space trip and have been training ahead of the June 10 launch.
Axiom Space shared a video of the training programme and posted on X, “The #Ax4 crew undergoes extensive emergency training, featuring a range of scenarios such as underwater escape drills.”
Axiom-4 mission
The Ax4 crew, during its 14-day stay at the ISS, is likely to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, school students, and other space industry leaders.
The Axiom-4 mission crew also addressed a press conference earlier this week to provide an update ahead of the launch, with Whitson saying, “We are good for the launch, we have completed all the training and the team has bonded well.”
About the culturally diverse crew on the mission, Whitson had earlier said that it not only allows the team to advance scientific knowledge but also fosters “international collaboration”.
“Our previous missions set the stage and with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing more nations to low-Earth orbit and expanding humanity’s reach among the stars,” she added.
Shukla described their year-long training for the commercial mission as “nothing short of transformative”.
“It has been an amazing journey so far, but the best is yet to come. As I go into space, I carry not just instruments and equipment, I carry hopes and dreams of a billion hearts,” Shukla added.
Shubhanshu Shukla’s space experiments
The Indian astronaut is set to conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments during his time at the ISS. These experiments were developed under a collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with NASA’s support.
The experiments aim to pioneer space nutrition and self-sustaining life support systems necessary for long-duration space travel in the future.
ISRO has lined up a set of seven experiments for Shubhanshu Shukla. He will also participate in five joint studies planned by NASA for its human research program.
The food-related plans are drawn up with a focus on Indian food, including sprouting methi (Fenugreek) and moong (green gram), in microgravity conditions.
Shukla will expose these seeds to the macrobiotic conditions and bring them back to Earth, where they will be cultivated into plants not just once but over generations.
Shukla’s experience on the Axiom-4 mission would also be very helpful for the Gaganyaan mission, which is planned for a 2027 launch. For the Ax4 mission, ISRO is spending a whopping ₹550 crore.
(with PTI inputs)