NEW DELHI: After several postponements, it appears that Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), carrying ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members, is finally set for its journey to the International Space Station on Wednesday, with SpaceX reporting 90 percent favorable weather conditions for launch.“All systems are looking good for Wednesday’s launch of @Axiom_Space’s Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station and weather is 90% favorable for liftoff,” SpaceX, the transport provider for the space mission, announced on X.
Axiom Mission to take off: When and where
Nasa, Axiom Space, and SpaceX have scheduled the fourth private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 4, to the International Space Station for June 25 at 12.01 PM (IST).The launch will commence from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will utilise a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launched via the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, for their journey to the space station.The scheduled docking is expected at approximately 4.30 pm IST on June 26, according to NASA’s statement.Also read: ‘New chapter to Indian space odyssey’: IAF wishes Axiom-4 captain Shubhanshu Shukla; Isro team on ground for launchThis launch opportunity comes after NASA and Roscosmos officials discussed the status of the recent repair work in the transfer tunnel at the aft (back) most segment of the orbital laboratory’s Zvezda service module. Based on the evaluations, NASA and Roscosmos agreed to further lower the pressure in the transfer tunnel to 100 millimeters of mercury, and teams will continue to evaluate going forward. Safety remains a top priority for NASA and Roscosmos.“Nasa and Roscosmos have a long history of cooperation and collaboration on the International Space Station. This professional working relationship has allowed the agencies to arrive at a shared technical approach and now Axiom Mission 4 launch and docking will proceed,” said acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro. “We look forward to the launch with Axiom Space and SpaceX for this commercial international mission.”
Meet the crew members
Former Nasa astronaut and Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight, Peggy Whitson, will lead the commercial mission, whilst Isro astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla takes the role of pilot.ESA project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and HUNOR astronaut Tibor Kapu from Hungary will serve as mission specialists.Axiom-4 has experienced several delays due to poor weather conditions, leaks discovered on SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket, and issues with the Russian module of the International Space Station.Also read: Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom 4 launch delayed again; Nasa cites safety checksThe mission fulfils a commitment between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the first Isro astronaut to the station, as part of Nasa and Isro’s collaboration.The space organisations are conducting five joint scientific investigations and two in-orbit STEM demonstrations.The private astronauts intend to spend approximately two weeks on the space station, executing scientific research, outreach programmes, and commercial activities.
Where you can watch
You can see the full details on the TimesofIndia.com website or you can also follow Nasa+ Axiom Space, and SpaceX channels. The docking event will also be livestreamed starting at around 2:30 PM IST on June 26.