Axiom Space’s mission to the International Space Station (ISS), carrying Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members, has been postponed to June 10 at 5:52 PM IST. The Axiom-4 mission will launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The new date was confirmed during a virtual press conference with the Ax-4 crew, who are currently in mandatory pre-flight quarantine at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Originally slated for May 29 and later rescheduled to June 8, this marks the second delay for the historic mission, a landmark NASA, ISRO collaboration that will see Shukla become the second Indian in history to travel to space, four decades after Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 spaceflight aboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to interact with the Ax-4 crew during their 14-day stay at the ISS. “We will have one [interaction] with an Indian VVIP,” Shukla said in response to a question about speaking with the Prime Minister from space.
Shukla also announced plans to engage with students, educators, and members of India’s growing space sector during the mission. “For the people of India: This mission is a milestone and I request India to pray for the success of the mission. Even stars are attainable. Jai Hind,” he said.
Shukla also revealed he will carry Indian delicacies such as mango nectar, moong dal halwa, and carrot halwa to space.
Joining him on the Ax-4 mission are Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Both astronauts will be the first from their respective countries to travel to the ISS, making it the second government-backed human spaceflight mission for each of their nations in over 40 years.
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Once docked, the astronauts will spend up to two weeks aboard the orbiting lab, conducting science, outreach, and commercial activities. The Ax-4 crew is set to perform around 60 scientific studies representing 31 countries.
Shukla’s contributions include a series of space food and nutrition experiments developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA. These studies aim to advance space nutrition and self-sustaining life support systems crucial for long-duration missions.
Among the India-specific research, Shukla will experiment with sprouting methi (fenugreek) and moong (green gram) in microgravity, as part of ISRO’s planned seven-experiment package. He will also take part in five joint studies under NASA’s Human Research Program.
(With Inputs from PTI)