Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's space mission pushed to June 10

Axiom Space's upcoming mission to the International Space Station, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, has been postponed to June 10.

Originally slated for launch on June 8, the mission will now lift off two days later aboard SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, reported PTI.

Four decades after Rakesh Sharma's iconic spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in 1984, astronaut Shukla will be the second Indian to travel to space.

Apart from Shukla, who is the mission pilot for the Axiom-4 mission, the other crew members include Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

Shubham Shukla's experiments on ISS

Shubham Shukla is set to conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments developed under a collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA.

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said that Shubhanshu Shukla's experiments hold immense importance for future space missions, including the Gaganyaan project.

Shukla’s research will also focus on skeletal muscle dysfunction in space and the evaluation of therapeutic strategies to counter these effects, Jitendra Singh told reporters.

The Indian astronaut will study physical, cognitive and physiological responses in space as well as the impact of utilising continuous electronic displays in microgravity, which is an important aspect for future long-duration space missions, reported PTI.

Axiom-4 Mission

The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) astronauts will perform around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries during their 14-day stay at the ISS.

As part of the mission, ISRO has outlined plans to focus on India-centric scientific studies, including experiments involving the sprouting of methi (fenugreek) and moong (green gram) in microgravity conditions, PTI reported.

More about Shubhanshu Shukla

After completing his school education, Shubhanshu Shukla joined the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the IAF on June 17, 2006, in the fighter stream. He was an IAF Wing Commander before being promoted to Group Captain.

Shukla is a fighter combat test pilot in the IAF with 2,000 hours of flying experience, including on the Sukhoi-30MKI, Mig-21, Mig-29, An-32, Dornier, Hawk, and Jaguar.