Daijiworld Media Network- Florida
Florida, May 15: Indian Air Force’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is poised to etch his name in the annals of space history as he prepares to journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 8, 2025. The launch of the much-anticipated Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4) was rescheduled from its earlier date of May 29 and will now take place at 6:41 pm IST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, Florida.
The mission, a joint initiative by NASA and US-based space firm Axiom Space, will see Shukla join a distinguished international crew aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. This landmark event marks India’s first human spaceflight to the ISS and comes four decades after Rakesh Sharma’s legendary mission aboard the Soyuz spacecraft in 1984.
“After reviewing the Space Station flight schedule, NASA and its partners are shifting launch opportunities for several upcoming missions,” read an official NASA update on X, confirming the revised launch schedule for Ax-4.
Apart from Shukla, the crew includes Slawosz Uznanski of Poland, Tibor Kapu of Hungary, and mission commander Peggy Whitson, a veteran NASA astronaut holding the record for the longest cumulative time spent in space by an American.
Significantly, Shukla’s mission will not just be a symbolic national achievement but will also contribute to scientific advancement. He is set to conduct seven critical experiments focused on microgravity research, many of which are tailored to support India’s growing space ambitions. This includes ISRO-led studies involving India-centric food sustainability experiments, such as sprouting fenugreek (methi) and green gram (moong) in space.
This mission arrives as India aggressively charts its space exploration roadmap, aiming to establish a national space station by 2035 and land Indian astronauts on the moon by 2047.
For Poland and Hungary too, this will be a historic flight, marking the first ISS journeys for both countries since their last crewed missions in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The Ax-4 crew is expected to spend up to 14 days aboard the ISS, during which time they will collaborate on a range of scientific, educational, and outreach activities.
As the countdown begins, the nation waits with bated breath to witness Shukla’s trailblazing voyage that promises to inspire generations and propel India further into the global space frontier.