Bad weather stalls India’s first astronaut mission in 41 years. Here's new launch date and where to watch

What was poised to be a defining moment for India’s space ambitions will now wait another day. Axiom Space’s mission to the International Space Station, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three international crewmates, has been postponed due to adverse weather at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ISRO chairman V Narayanan confirmed that the lift-off, originally scheduled for Tuesday evening, will now target 5:30 PM IST on Wednesday.

SpaceX, which is launching the Axiom-4 mission aboard its Falcon-9 rocket, cited “high winds in the ascent corridor” as the reason for the delay. “Launch is targeted for 8:00 a.m. ET (5:30 p.m. IST), with a backup opportunity available on Thursday, June 12 at 7:37 a.m. ET (5:07 p.m. IST),” the company announced on X.

For India, Shukla’s spaceflight marks a return to human space exploration after a gap of 41 years, following Rakesh Sharma’s historic mission aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. Hailing from Lucknow and known by his call sign ‘Shuks’, Shukla is part of an ISRO-NASA backed commercial flight by Axiom Space, where all participants are from national space programs.

The Ax-4 mission is set to launch from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A. The crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Shukla, and mission specialists Tigor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland. This 14-day mission will mark a human spaceflight comeback not just for India, but also Poland and Hungary.

Ahead of the originally scheduled launch, the crew and SpaceX teams had completed full rehearsals of launch day procedures. “A proud global acknowledgement of India's space capabilities — a befitting tribute to the founding fathers Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan,” said Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh.

In Lucknow, Shukla’s alma mater, City Montessori School (CMS), has organized a public watch party, with hoardings dotting the city and giant screens set up to stream the launch live. “We are eagerly looking forward to the launch. Shuks is incredibly focused yet brimming with joy,” said his sister, Suchi Mishra.

During their stay on the ISS, the Ax-4 crew is expected to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, school students, and industry leaders. Shukla will also spearhead a suite of food and nutrition experiments developed by ISRO and the Department of Biotechnology, with NASA’s support. The goal: to advance space nutrition and life support systems critical for long-duration missions.

Among the key experiments: growing methi (fenugreek) and moong (green gram) in microgravity, then returning the seeds to Earth for generational cultivation. In total, ISRO has planned seven exclusive experiments and five joint studies with NASA’s human research program.

The experience Shukla gains from Ax-4 is expected to directly inform ISRO’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, targeted for 2027. The Ax-4 mission itself represents a Rs 550 crore investment by ISRO.