IP News | National Affairs Desk | June 25, 2025
In a landmark moment for India’s space ambitions, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force is set to soar into orbit today aboard NASA’s Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). The mission, a collaboration between NASA, Axiom Space, ISRO, SpaceX, and European partners, is scheduled to launch at 12:01 PM IST from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Commanded by American veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, the international crew includes Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), each making history as the first astronauts from their respective countries to reach the International Space Station (ISS).
The mission was delayed multiple times earlier this month due to technical and safety concerns, including an air leak on the ISS’s Russian Zvezda module. With the issues resolved, the Falcon 9 rocket is now go for launch under favorable weather.
Over a 14-day stay aboard the ISS, the Ax-4 crew will engage in advanced scientific experiments, STEM outreach, and commercial research, marking a key step in developing a low Earth orbit economy.
For India, the mission signals a revival of human spaceflight after more than four decades following in the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma’s historic 1984 mission.
Whether this marks the dawn of deeper ISRO-NASA collaboration in manned spaceflight is a question now hurtling toward orbit.
