‘All systems looking good…weather 90% favourable for liftoff’, says SpaceX ahead of Axiom-4 mission

SpaceX has confirmed that all systems for the Axiom Mission 4 launch are "looking good," as NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX prepare for a 2:31 a.m. EDT (Noon IST) liftoff on Wednesday for the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

In a post on X on Tuesday (local time), SpaceX noted that weather conditions are 90% favourable for the scheduled launch on Wednesday evening.

"All systems are looking good for Wednesday's launch of Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station, and weather is 90 per cent favourable for liftoff," SpaceX stated.

The Axiom-4 mission will be launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The mission holds much significance for India's space capabilities, as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will be piloted by India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla after launching on the company's Falcon 9 rocket.

For Group Captain Shukla, this will be an opportunity to emulate fellow Indian Air Force Officer Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on April 3, 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme, becoming the first Indian in space.

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The Group Captain will now be rewriting history, as he is set to become the second Indian in space and the first to visit the ISS.

The four-member crew, which has been in quarantine in Florida, will be commanded by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and now Axiom Space's Director of Human Spaceflight.

The mission specialists are ESA project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

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The Ax-4 mission marks a significant milestone as it brings India, Poland, and Hungary back into human spaceflight, with each country undertaking its first government-sponsored mission in over 40 years. While it’s only the second human spaceflight mission in history for each nation, Ax-4 will be the first time all three participate in a mission aboard the International Space Station.

For India’s space agency ISRO and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the mission is a critical step in advancing the country’s space ambitions. It sets the stage for India’s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, slated for launch in early 2027, and supports the longer-term goal of landing an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040.

(With inputs from ANI)