Florida (US), June 26: The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying four astronauts from Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), including India’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is now orbiting Earth en route to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center around noon IST on Wednesday.
Joining Shukla on the historic journey are Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, a veteran NASA astronaut, and Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu. The crew is scheduled to dock with the ISS’s Harmony module at approximately 4:30 PM IST today.
NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are monitoring Dragon’s automated approach and docking manoeuvres. Once aboard, the Ax-4 astronauts will be welcomed by the seven members of Expedition 73 and will undergo a safety briefing before commencing their mission activities.
This mission is especially significant for India. Group Captain Shukla’s journey follows in the footsteps of Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, who spent seven days aboard the Soviet space station Salyut 7 in 1984.
Speaking from space, Shukla delivered a stirring message:
“Namaskar, my dear countrymen. What a ride. We are back in space after 41 years. We’re orbiting the Earth at 7.5 km per second. The Tiranga embossed on my shoulders reminds me I am with you all. This is not just my journey to the ISS, but the beginning of India’s Human Space Programme. Be proud, be excited—let’s begin this journey together. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!”
The Ax-4 crew will spend up to 14 days aboard the ISS, engaging in science, outreach, and commercial ventures. According to Axiom Space, this mission marks their most research-intensive undertaking yet.
A key highlight of the mission is the collaboration between NASA and ISRO, with joint scientific experiments underway. These include studies on muscle regeneration, sprout and microalgae growth, survival of aquatic organisms in space, and human interaction with digital interfaces in microgravity.
Axiom’s first private mission to the ISS took place in April 2022. The ongoing Ax-4 mission builds on that foundation and strengthens international cooperation in space exploration.
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