Axiom-4 mission carrying India's Shubhanshu Shukla now eyes June 22 lift-off

Axiom 04 mission sending Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station will be launched on June 22, in yet another postponement that will give National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) time to continue evaluating space station operations.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said based on the readiness status of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, the Dragon spacecraft, repairs in the Zvezda module of the ISS, ascent corridor weather conditions, and the health and preparedness of the crew in quarantine, Axiom has informed that the next probable launch date is June 22.

SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, which will launch the mission, said the AX4 crew remains in quarantine in Florida to maintain all medical and safety protocols. “The crew is in good health and high spirits and looks forward to launch,” SpaceX said in a social media post.

Originally scheduled for launch on June 8, the mission was postponed to June 10 and then to June 11 indefinitely. The Indian government had last week said the launch could probably take place on June 19 but SpaceX and Axiom Space have now announced that the take-off will take place on June 22.

“The change in a targeted launch date provides NASA time to continue evaluating space station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module,” Axiom Space said.

Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

“The crew will lift off aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida,” the statement added.

Last week, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said safety and mission integrity remains the top priorities and that it was working closely with Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX as they responsibly address the ISS Zvezda module observation causing the Ax‑4 delay.

The ambitious mission will take the second Indian astronaut to the ISS after Rakesh Sharma in 1984 as part of Soviet Interkosmos programme.

The June 11 launch was postponed after a liquid oxygen system leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during the test following which the mission was postponed. The leakage was detected during a 7-second hot test carried out at the launch pad to validate the performance of the booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

Shulka, who was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter wing in June 2006, became Group Captain in March 2024 with 2,000 hours of flight experience across aircraft.