Axiom-4 mission lifts off: India’s Shubhanshu Shukla begins journey to space station aboard SpaceX Dragon

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla along with three international crew members. The historic flight marks the first time an Indian astronaut has embarked on a space mission to the ISS in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX.

The launch took place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 PM IST, with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket propelling the new Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The mission, coordinated by Axiom Space, will dock with the space station on Thursday at approximately 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 posted on X prior to liftoff.

Shubhanshu Shukla, a pilot and astronaut representing ISRO, is part of a four-member team that includes Peggy Whitson (commander and former NASA astronaut), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland (ESA), and Tibor Kapu from Hungary (HUNOR). The crew will spend approximately two weeks aboard the ISS conducting scientific research, STEM outreach programs, and commercial activities.

The mission also fulfills a joint commitment made between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former U.S. President Donald Trump, aimed at strengthening Indo-U.S. space cooperation.

Ax-4 faced several postponements due to poor weather, a detected leak on the Falcon 9 rocket, and safety checks on the ISS's Russian service module. After final assessments, NASA and Roscosmos agreed to proceed with the launch, lowering pressure levels in the Zvezda transfer tunnel as an additional safety measure.

“NASA and Roscosmos have a long history of cooperation… this allowed the agencies to arrive at a shared technical approach,” said Janet Petro, acting NASA Administrator.