Mission with next Indian in space pushed to June 10
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Mission with next Indian in space pushed to June 10
The Ax-4 mission, originally scheduled for May 29 and later moved to June 8, will now lift off at 8:22am EST aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida for the International Space Station. Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will join three international crew members on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The mission represents a significant milestone for all three nations, each returning to human spaceflight after more than four decades and visiting the ISS for the first time. The team includes Sławosz Uznański, an ESA project astronaut who becomes the second Polish astronaut since 1978, and Tibor Kapu, Hungary’s second national astronaut since 1980.
Axiom Space Inc announced that the Ax-4 mission, originally scheduled for May 29 and later moved to June 8, will now lift off at 8:22am EST aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida for the International Space Station.
The 39-year-old test pilot will join three international crew members on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, marking India’s return to human spaceflight after a 40-year hiatus since Rakesh Sharma’s pioneering mission in 1984.
“Since we both belong to the Indian Air Force and were also test pilots, he understands the journey and background I come from,” Shukla said, speaking of Sharma as his mentor during a virtual press conference with the crew. “He navigated the same path in 1984 and guided me with sound advice which I am carrying along.”
Shukla, who grew up reading about Sharma in textbooks, initially channeled his space fascination into flying fighter jets before India had a human spaceflight programme. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Gaganyaan mission in 2018—India’s first indigenous crewed orbital flight—Shukla immediately applied for Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro) Human Spaceflight Programme and remains among the top contenders, he said.
The mission carries deep personal significance for Shukla, who will take a surprise gift to space for Sharma without revealing details. “I will personally hand it over to him once I am back,” he said. Shukla said for himself, he will carry his favourite mango nectar, moong halwa and carrot halwa.
Leading the Ax-4 crew is Peggy Whitson, a former Nasa astronaut commanding her second commercial human spaceflight mission. The team includes Sławosz Uznański, an ESA project astronaut who becomes the second Polish astronaut since 1978, and Tibor Kapu, Hungary’s second national astronaut since 1980.
The mission represents a significant milestone for all three nations, each returning to human spaceflight after more than four decades and visiting the ISS for the first time.
Adding a touch of whimsy, the crew unveiled a fifth member—a swan named Joy serving as a Zero G indicator. Whitson explained the choice symbolised wisdom in India, resilience in Poland, and grace in Hungary.
Shukla will conduct seven experiments during the mission, studying microgravity’s impact on edible microalgae to analysing human interaction with electronic displays in space.
From the ISS, Shukla will interact with students, academia, and space industry members, embodying what he describes as “carrying the hopes and dreams of a billion hearts.”
The crew entered a two-week quarantine phase in Florida on May 26 to ensure optimal health.
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