Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom 4 mission countdown begins: Launch date, crew & more | All you need to know

Indian Air Force pilot Shubhanshu Shukla is set to be part of a space mission, Axiom 4, along with three other crew members, marking a significant milestone for India. The crew of Axiom Mission 4 is set to travel to the International Space Station, where they will orbit the laboratory and undertake a mission focused on science, outreach, and commercial endeavours.

Launch details

The Axiom 4 crew is scheduled to be launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station from LC-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre on June 10 at 8:22 am ET.

Axiom 4 Mission experiments

The Axiom-4 mission aims to carry out 60 experiments with a four-member crew. This includes seven experiments planned by ISRO and five others in which Shukla will take part as part of NASA’s human research programme. Additionally, Shukla will be involved in five collaborative studies organised by NASA for the same program.

Duration of Axiom 4

The crew is expected to arrive at the ISS on June 11 around 10 pm IST, following an almost 28-hour journey. The mission is planned to continue for 14 days.

Meet Axiom 4 crew members

The Axiom 4 crew comprises members from India, Poland, and Hungary, representing each country’s first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years. The crew members are Peggy Whitson, Shubhanshu Shukla, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is a pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF), who has been picked as one of the four astronauts for the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) historic Gaganyaan mission, India's inaugural human space flight.

Peggy Whitson is one of the most experienced astronauts in the US, who will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission.

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, of Poland, is a scientist and engineer who will be contributing as a mission specialist in Axiom 4.

Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer from Hungary, is a mission specialist for Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).

Shubhanshu Shukla on Axiom 4

Expressing his excitement about the Axiom 4 mission, Shukla told PI, “I am really, really excited to go into microgravity and experience spaceflight on my own. The tempo for the mission has been building up each month, and I think we are at a stage where all the pieces are kind of coming together. I am extremely excited to see how this unfolds in the coming months."

He further said, “I also have a personal agenda of capturing my experiences on board the station (ISS) through pictures and videos so that I can share these with all the 'Bharatvaasis' back home. I want them to share this thrilling experience through my eyes, for I truly believe that, even as an individual travelling to space, this is the journey of 1.4 billion people.”