News Brief
Shubhanshu Shukla Set To Become First Indian In Space In 41 Years With Axiom-4 Mission Launch On 10 June
From left to right: Tibor Kapu of Hungary, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland (Pic Via NASA)
India is poised to make a historic return to space as astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to launch aboard Axiom Space’s fourth commercial mission (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS) on 10 June, PTI reported.
This landmark mission comes 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 voyage aboard the Russian Soyuz.
Shukla, serving as the mission pilot, will travel alongside commander Peggy Whitson, Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski.
The crew will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. They are expected to dock at the ISS on 11 June at around 10.00 pm IST.
“The #Ax4 crew undergoes extensive emergency training, featuring a range of scenarios such as underwater escape drills,” Axiom Space posted, as the astronauts remain in quarantine since 25 May.
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan recently visited Axiom Space to review mission preparations.
He added, “As I go into space, I carry not just instruments and equipment, I carry hopes and dreams of a billion hearts".
The 14 day stay on the ISS will include a high-profile interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and student outreach, as part of ISRO-NASA collaborative activities.
Shukla will carry out seven India-led experiments, including sprouting methi and moong in microgravity, under a joint ISRO-DBT initiative, with NASA’s support.
The studies aim to develop sustainable food systems for future deep-space missions.
ISRO is investing Rs 550 crore in the Axiom-4 mission, with Shukla’s experience expected to feed directly into preparations for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, targeted for 2027.
