BENGALURU: One of the most sought-after space missions for the entire globe- the Axion-4 mission, which was scheduled to be launched on June 10, has now been postponed to June 11, 2025, owing to poor weather conditions.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) that is investing Rs 550 crore on the project, took to social media platform-X to confirm the news of the postponement of the mission. “Due to bad weather conditions, the launch of Axiom-4 Mission for sending Indian Gaganyatri to the International Space Station (ISS) is postponed from June 10 to June 11, 5.30 pm IST,” said ISRO Chairman, V Narayanan. It will be launched from the LC-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre
ISRO that is working on the launch of the Gaganyaan mission to be launched in 2026, has chosen four astronauts, one of whom- Group Captain Shubhanshu- is a part of Ax-4 mission. He is the mission pilot for the 14-day-long low-Earth Orbit mission. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will be launched by the Falcon-9 rocket. It will be docked into the ISS by Shukla on June 12, 2025. Shukla is the first Indian to pilot the spacecraft. Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space in 1984, had not done it.
Three of the four-team crew chosen for the Ax-4 mission include Peggy Whitson, the commander of the mission from the United States, and project astronauts Slawosz Uznanski- Wisnieski, from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. It also includes a fifth traveller- Joy- a swan. All four astronauts have been in quarantine as part of their training ahead of the launch. They have undergone theory and space-life-like practical training with simulators. They have also practised making their splash landing in the ocean when returning to Earth at the end of their mission.
During a recent media interaction, the astronauts said the toy was chosen as it symbolises purity and power and Goddess Saraswathi, the goddess of knowledge. It is also a part of the name of their vehicle, which will be announced during their space mission. Presently the number is 213.
The team will conduct 60 experiments on the ISS, seven of which will be conducted by Shukla. These 60 scientific studies and activities comprise representations from 31 countries, including from the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE and European nations. Their aim being to enhance global knowledge in human research, use of artificial intelligence tools in space, biological and material research and the capabilities of humans in space.
Axiom Space in its release stated that the mission realise the return to human spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary, with each nation’s first government-sponsored flight in over 40 years. The Ax-4 marks these countries’ second human spaceflight mission in history. It will also be the first time all the three nations will execute the mission on board the ISS, the release said.