India’s Historic Axiom-4 Mission Launch: Shubhanshu Shukla Soars to ISS
Kennedy Space Center, Florida: India achieved a historic milestone in its space exploration journey today as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force officer and ISRO astronaut, successfully launched aboard Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, a landmark collaboration between NASA, ISRO, Axiom Space, and SpaceX, lifted off at 2:31 a.m. EDT (12:01 p.m. IST) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carried four private astronauts: mission commander Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight; mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from ISRO; and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland (European Space Agency) and Tibor Kapu from Hungary (HUNOR program). This marks India’s return to human spaceflight after 41 years, since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft.
The Ax-4 mission, NASA’s fourth all-private astronaut mission to the ISS, exemplifies the agency’s efforts to expand access to low Earth orbit through commercial and international partnerships. The spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock at approximately 7 a.m. EDT (4:30 p.m. IST) on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at the space-facing port of the ISS’s Harmony module. Live coverage of the docking will be available on NASA+ and various social media platforms. Upon arrival, the Ax-4 crew will be welcomed by Expedition 73 members, including NASA astronauts Nicole Ayers, Anne McClain, and Jonny Kim, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, and Alexey Zubritsky.
The crew will spend approximately 14 days aboard the ISS, conducting around 60 scientific experiments representing 31 countries, including seven proposed by Indian researchers focusing on microgravity effects on crop seed growth, cyanobacteria, microalgae, muscle degradation, and tardigrades. The mission also includes five joint NASA-ISRO science investigations and two in-orbit STEM demonstrations. Additionally, Shukla will engage in educational outreach, including virtual interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian schoolchildren, to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
The mission faced multiple delays prior to today’s successful launch. Initially scheduled for May 29, 2025, the launch was postponed to June 8 due to an electrical harness issue in the Crew Dragon module. Subsequent delays to June 9 and June 10 were caused by Falcon 9 vehicle preparedness issues and unfavourable weather conditions in the ascent corridor. On June 8, a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak was detected in the engine bay during a hot fire test, alongside an anomaly in an engine actuator, which was replaced along with its controller. ISRO recommended in-situ repairs and a low-temperature leak test, rescheduling the launch to June 11. However, on June 11, NASA and Roscosmos identified a pressure anomaly in the ISS’s Zvezda service module, further delaying the mission. By June 14, ISRO confirmed the resolution of the Falcon 9 LOX leak, and after technical reviews, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX cleared the mission for launch on June 25, with weather conditions reported as 90% favourable.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the launch, stating on X: “We welcome the successful launch of the Space Mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland, and the US. The Indian Astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. Wish him and other astronauts all the success!” NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro also congratulated the teams, noting, “Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, America has expanded international participation and commercial capabilities in low Earth orbit. U.S. industry is enabling astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to return to space for the first time in over forty years. It’s a powerful example of American leadership bringing nations together in pursuit of science, discovery, and opportunity.”
The mission, dubbed “Mission Akash Ganga,” carries cultural significance. Shukla is bringing Indian delicacies like mango nectar, moong dal halwa, and carrot halwa, along with a toy swan named “Joy,” symbolising wisdom and unity across Indian, Polish, and Hungarian cultures, which will serve as the mission’s zero-gravity indicator. Shukla, a 39-year-old test pilot with over 2,000 hours of flying experience, underwent rigorous training at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and ISRO’s Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru. His participation in Ax-4 fulfils a commitment made by U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi to send an ISRO astronaut to the ISS, strengthening U.S.-India space collaboration. ISRO’s ₹550 crore investment in Ax-4 is expected to provide critical experience for India’s Gaganyaan program, the nation’s first crewed spaceflight mission planned for 2027.
The Ax-4 mission underscores NASA’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit, aiming to foster a robust economy where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers. This approach provides reliable, cost-effective services, empowers U.S. industry, and allows NASA to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars preparations while leveraging low Earth orbit as a training ground. After their two-week mission, the Ax-4 crew will return to Earth with a splashdown off the coast of California.
– global bihari bureau
