The highly-awaited Ax-4 mission carrying Indian Air Force Group Captain and ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will launch on Wednesday, June 25 at 12:01 pm IST, according to confirmation from NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX.
This is a tribute to human tenacity, international collaboration, and the boundless courage of those who dare to look skyward.
“The mission will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 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 4:30 pm (India Time) Thursday, June 26,” NASA announced in an official statement.
The first reschedule moved the date to June 8 after problems were discovered in the Crew Dragon’s electrical harness. June 9 was then targeted, but readiness issues with the Falcon-9 rocket pushed it back. Nature added her own complications, as poor weather on June 10 triggered another delay. A subsequent oxygen leak and additional problems during pre-launch tests shifted the launch again—first to June 11, then to June 12. Most recently, the mission was postponed to June 22 after new leaks were detected on the ISS.
And yet, through every delay and detour, the mission team never wavered.
Now, the final countdown begins. Leading this landmark commercial venture is none other than Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and the current Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space. She will serve as mission commander. At her side, making history for India, is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who will serve as pilot. Rounding out the international crew are Sawosz Uznaski-Winiewski, a Polish astronaut from the European Space Agency, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary—both joining as mission specialists.
Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stand ready and in excellent condition at Kennedy Space Center’s iconic Launch Complex 39A, where so many historic spaceflights have begun.
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