On Tuesday, NASA announced that Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhamshu Shukla's mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for the Axiom-4 Mission is now set to launch on June 25. This mission is symbolic of a return to space for India, Hungary, and Poland.
The Axiom-4 mission, initially scheduled to be launched on June 25 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 12:01 PM IST, has a revised date announced by NASA.
According to NASA's statement, 'NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX will launch the Axiom Mission-4 on June 25, Wednesday at 2:31 AM EDT (12:01 PM IST).'
Axiom-4 mission is led by Commander Peggy Whitson, with Shubhamshu Shukla joining as Mission Pilot. Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Polish astronaut Slawos Uzanski-Wisniewski are part of this mission as mission specialists.
Mission Delays
The launch of the Axiom Mission-4 has been postponed several times. Originally set for May 29, the mission faced technical issues leading to delays till June 8, then further postponed to June 9, 10, and 11. The delays were due to liquid oxygen leaks in the Falcon-9 rocket booster and leaks in the old Russian module on the ISS.
Subsequently, the launch was set for June 19 and then for June 22, but was again postponed after Russian module repairs, as the ISS operations needed further evaluation. Now, NASA has announced a new launch date.
This mission will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A in Florida. The crew will travel to the space station in a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft aboard a Falcon-9 rocket.
According to NASA, the scheduled docking time is June 26, Thursday at 7 AM EDT (4:30 PM IST).
What is the Axiom-4 Mission?
Axiom Mission-4 is a private spaceflight mission operated together by Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX. This mission includes four astronauts who will spend 14 days at the International Space Station (ISS) conducting experiments related to microgravity and biology.
