India’s astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will take off for the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, 25 June, at exactly 12:01 PM IST. The launch will be streamed live by Axiom Space and SpaceX starting from 9:00 AM IST. NASA will join the broadcast from 10:10 AM IST. Viewers can follow the coverage on NASA+, as well as on Axiom Space and SpaceX’s official channels.
The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 4:30 PM IST on Wednesday, 26 June. Docking coverage will begin at 2:30 PM IST and continue through hatch opening and welcome remarks.
Full schedule Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's space mission
Wednesday, June 25
Thursday, June 26
Also Read: Cosmic comeback: After 40 years, India embarks on a new space odyssey with IAF’s Shubhanshu Shukla aboard Axiom-4
India’s first private astronaut launch to the ISS
Axiom Mission 4 marks the first time an astronaut from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will visit the ISS under a commercial programme. Shubhanshu Shukla, a former Indian Air Force officer, will serve as the mission’s pilot.
He will fly alongside mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and now Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space. Two others complete the four-member crew: Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, who will serve as mission specialists.
A mission years in the making
The launch will take place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and a new Dragon spacecraft. The mission has faced several delays due to poor weather, technical faults in the Falcon 9 rocket, and repairs to the Russian segment of the ISS.
SpaceX now reports a 90% chance of favourable weather conditions. “All systems are looking good for Wednesday's launch of @Axiom_Space's Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station and weather is 90% favourable for liftoff,” the company posted on X.
Space diplomacy and global crew
This mission also reflects international cooperation. It was planned following a commitment made in 2020 between former US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is the first ISS visit by astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary under a commercial banner.
Shukla, who goes by the callsign "Shuks", follows in the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma—India’s first astronaut in space in 1984. But this time, the setting is more commercial than Cold War.
Mission Goals: Science, STEM, and space commerce
The Ax-4 crew will spend approximately two weeks on the ISS. During their stay, they will conduct five joint scientific investigations and two educational demonstrations focusing on science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).
The astronauts will also carry out outreach and commercial activities designed to promote private space operations. NASA has partnered with Axiom Space as part of its broader effort to shift routine operations in low-Earth orbit to private players.
NASA and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos gave the final approval for the launch following safety reviews. The two agencies recently addressed air pressure issues in the Zvezda module’s transfer tunnel. They agreed to reduce the pressure in the module to 100 millimetres of mercury to ensure continued crew safety.
“Nasa and Roscosmos have a long history of cooperation and collaboration on the International Space Station,” said Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro. “This professional working relationship has allowed the agencies to arrive at a shared technical approach and now Axiom Mission 4 launch and docking will proceed.”
Axiom-4 is the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. It forms part of NASA’s long-term vision to build a sustainable commercial economy in low-Earth orbit.
By delegating transport and routine station activities to companies like Axiom and SpaceX, NASA aims to focus on deep-space exploration—beginning with the Moon through the Artemis programme and eventually Mars.
The ISS, meanwhile, remains an essential training and testing site. For Shukla and his team, it’s a launchpad not just to orbit, but to a new chapter in global spaceflight.
The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 4:30 PM IST on Wednesday, 26 June. Docking coverage will begin at 2:30 PM IST and continue through hatch opening and welcome remarks.
Full schedule Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's space mission
Wednesday, June 25
- 12:30 a.m. (10:00 am)– Axiom Space and SpaceX launch coverage begins.
- 1:40 a.m. EDT (11:10 am IST)– NASA joins the launch coverage on NASA+.
- 2:31 a.m.(12:01 pm) – Launch
Thursday, June 26
- 5 a.m. (2:30 pm)– Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, Axiom Space, and SpaceX channels.
- 7 a.m. (4:30 pm) – Targeted docking to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
- Arrival coverage will continue through hatch opening and welcome remarks.
Also Read: Cosmic comeback: After 40 years, India embarks on a new space odyssey with IAF’s Shubhanshu Shukla aboard Axiom-4
India’s first private astronaut launch to the ISS
Axiom Mission 4 marks the first time an astronaut from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will visit the ISS under a commercial programme. Shubhanshu Shukla, a former Indian Air Force officer, will serve as the mission’s pilot.
He will fly alongside mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and now Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space. Two others complete the four-member crew: Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, who will serve as mission specialists.
A mission years in the making
The launch will take place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and a new Dragon spacecraft. The mission has faced several delays due to poor weather, technical faults in the Falcon 9 rocket, and repairs to the Russian segment of the ISS.
SpaceX now reports a 90% chance of favourable weather conditions. “All systems are looking good for Wednesday's launch of @Axiom_Space's Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station and weather is 90% favourable for liftoff,” the company posted on X.
Space diplomacy and global crew
This mission also reflects international cooperation. It was planned following a commitment made in 2020 between former US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is the first ISS visit by astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary under a commercial banner.
Shukla, who goes by the callsign "Shuks", follows in the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma—India’s first astronaut in space in 1984. But this time, the setting is more commercial than Cold War.
Mission Goals: Science, STEM, and space commerce
The Ax-4 crew will spend approximately two weeks on the ISS. During their stay, they will conduct five joint scientific investigations and two educational demonstrations focusing on science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).
The astronauts will also carry out outreach and commercial activities designed to promote private space operations. NASA has partnered with Axiom Space as part of its broader effort to shift routine operations in low-Earth orbit to private players.
NASA and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos gave the final approval for the launch following safety reviews. The two agencies recently addressed air pressure issues in the Zvezda module’s transfer tunnel. They agreed to reduce the pressure in the module to 100 millimetres of mercury to ensure continued crew safety.
“Nasa and Roscosmos have a long history of cooperation and collaboration on the International Space Station,” said Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro. “This professional working relationship has allowed the agencies to arrive at a shared technical approach and now Axiom Mission 4 launch and docking will proceed.”
Axiom-4 is the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. It forms part of NASA’s long-term vision to build a sustainable commercial economy in low-Earth orbit.
By delegating transport and routine station activities to companies like Axiom and SpaceX, NASA aims to focus on deep-space exploration—beginning with the Moon through the Artemis programme and eventually Mars.
The ISS, meanwhile, remains an essential training and testing site. For Shukla and his team, it’s a launchpad not just to orbit, but to a new chapter in global spaceflight.
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