Axiom mission 4 launch date and time: Shubhanshu Shukla set to take spaceflight today — check latest update

The US' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) yesterday announced that the much awaited Axiom-4 mission, piloted by Indian astronaut and IAF officer Shubhanshu Shukla, is set to take off on June 25.

The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission is set to carry Shukla and three other crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). The date has been finalised after a series of delays, earlier this month.

Axiom mission 4 launch date and time

In a statement, NASA noted: “NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are targeting 2:31 am EDT, Wednesday, June 25, for launch of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4.”

This means that for audiences watching in India, the mission launch will be at 12.01 pm IST (noon) on June 25.

Where to watch Ax-4 launch live?

Most live streams will begin at least two hours before the launch.

• The Axiom and SpaceX twitter accounts, will likely post live updates and videos on their official pages.
• You can also watch video livestreams on the NASA website or NASA+ app.
• Axiom Space YouTube page will also livestream the launch.
• SpaceX will likely post a livestream on its X page.

Who is the crew for the Axiom-4 Mission?

Led by Commander Peggy Whitson, the space crew is set to travel to the orbiting laboratory onboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. 

With Shubhanshu Shukla as mission pilot and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski as mission specialists, the spaceflight is scheduled to dock at the ISS on June 26 at around 7 am EDT, i.e. 4.30 pm IST.

Axiom-4 mission: L

The statement added that the mission will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It added that the crew will travel to the orbiting lab on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. 

The Axiom-4 mission is a joint venture between NASA, Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

It is especially crucial for India, as it marks the first time an Indian — Shubhanshu Shukla — will be on the ISS. It is also only the second time an Indian cosmonaut will be in orbit, after Rakesh Sharma boarded the Soviet Soyuz in 1984.

Initially, the mission was scheduled for lift-off on May 29 but was then postponed to June 8, then June 10, June 11 and then finally to June 22. The mission was postponed multiple time in the past due to crucial repairs in the spacecraft as well as the launchpad and unfavourable weather conditions.