Indian astronaut Shukla Axiom-4 mission set for June 10 lift-off, dock at ISS after 28-hour flight

In the course of the 14-day keep on the ISS, the Ax-4 crew is anticipated to work together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, college college students, and area business leaders, amongst others. File
| Photograph Credit score: AFP

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others are set to embark on Axiom House’s fourth human spaceflight from NASA’s Kennedy House Centre in Florida on June 10 and are prone to dock on the Worldwide House Station on June 11 at about 10 PM IST, after a virtually 28-hour journey.

Mr. Shukla, the mission pilot of the Axiom-4 (Ax4) industrial mission to the ISS, will probably be accompanied by mission commander Peggy Whitson and specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland.

The Axiom-4 mission will mark India’s return to area 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s historic spaceflight onboard Russia’s Soyuz mission in 1984.

“The crew will journey to the orbiting laboratory on a brand new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the corporate’s Falcon 9 rocket. The focused docking time is roughly 12:30 p.m. EDT (10:00 p.m. IST), Wednesday, June 11,” NASA stated in a press release.

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan visited Axiom House final week to evaluation the preparations for the spaceflight.

The astronauts have been in quarantine since Might 25 to organize for the journey and have been coaching forward of the launch on June 10.

“The #Ax4 crew undergoes intensive emergency coaching, that includes a variety of eventualities reminiscent of underwater escape drills,” Axiom House stated in a submit on X, and shared a video of the coaching programme.

In the course of the 14-day keep on the ISS, the Ax-4 crew is anticipated to work together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, college college students, and area business leaders, amongst others.

Earlier this week, the crew addressed a press convention to present an replace on the coaching forward of the launch. “We’re good for the launch, we now have accomplished all of the coaching and the workforce has bonded nicely,” Mr. Whitson stated on Tuesday (June 3, 2025).

Mr. Shukla described the year-long coaching for the spaceflight as “nothing in need of transformative”.

“It has been a tremendous journey to this point, however one of the best is but to return. As I am going into area, I carry not simply devices and tools, I carry hopes and goals of a billion hearts,” Mr. Shukla stated.

Mr. Shukla is about to conduct unique meals and nutrition-related experiments developed below a collaboration between the Indian House Analysis Organisation (ISRO) and the Division of Biotechnology (DBT), with assist from NASA.

The experiments goal to pioneer area diet and self-sustaining life assist techniques very important for future long-duration area journey.

ISRO has lined up a set of seven experiments for Mr. Shukla, who can even take part in 5 joint research deliberate by NASA for its human analysis program.

It has drawn up plans to give attention to India-centric meals for finishing up experiments on the ISS, together with sprouting methi (Fenugreek) and moong (inexperienced gram) in microgravity situations.

Mr. Shukla can even expose the seeds to the macrobiotic situations and produce them again to earth, the place they are going to be cultivated into crops not simply as soon as however over generations.

Mr. Shukla’s expertise on the Axiom Mission 4 could be very nicely utilised on the Gaganyaan mission, which is deliberate for 2027. ISRO is spending ₹550 crore on the Axiom-4 mission.