Axiom Mission 4 successfully launched with India's astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US on Wednesday, June 25. The crew is travelling to the International Space Station (ISS) on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company's Falcon 9 rocket.
The mission is led by US Commander Peggy Whitson, with India's IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as mission pilot and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski as mission specialists. The historic flight to the ISS marks the first time an Indian astronaut has embarked on a space mission in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX.
Four Astronauts Lift Off on Axiom Mission to the ISS
The launch took place from Kennedy Space Centre's Launch Complex 39A at 12.1 pm IST, with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket propelling the new Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The mission rocket will dock with the space station on Thursday at around 4.30 PM IST.
“All systems are looking good for the launch of @Axiom_Space’s Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station and weather is 90% favorable for liftoff,” SpaceX in a post on X.
The four-member team includes Shubhanshu Shukla (a pilot and astronaut representing ISRO), Peggy Whitson (commander and former NASA astronaut), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland (ESA), and Tibor Kapu from Hungary (HUNOR). The crew will spend two weeks at the ISS conducting scientific research, STEM outreach programs, and commercial activities.