After multiple postponements, the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which includes ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. SpaceX reports a 90% chance of favorable weather for the launch. The mission will use a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket and will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch is scheduled for 2:31 a.m. EDT on June 25, which translates to 12:01 p.m. IST. If the launch proceeds as planned, the docking at the ISS is expected around 4:30 p.m. IST on June 26. The event will be livestreamed on NASA+, Axiom Space, and SpaceX channels.

Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force pilot holding the rank of Group Captain, will pilot Axiom Mission 4. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the mission. ESA astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and HUNOR astronaut Tibor Kapu from Hungary will serve as mission specialists.

Axiom Mission 4 will carry around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including India, the US, Poland, and Hungary. Shukla will be responsible for conducting seven Indian science studies designed by academics and scientists from across the country during his 14-day mission in zero gravity.

This mission is significant for India as it marks the return to human spaceflight after a long gap. It is only the second time an Indian cosmonaut will be in orbit, after Rakesh Sharma's journey aboard the Soviet Soyuz in 1984. Axiom-4 is a joint venture between NASA, SpaceX, and ISRO. It fulfills a commitment between the United States and India to send an ISRO astronaut to the ISS as part of their collaboration. NASA and ISRO are jointly conducting five scientific investigations and two in-orbit STEM demonstrations.

Shukla began his astronaut training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow, Russia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced him as an astronaut-designate for India's Gaganyaan mission, which is scheduled for launch in 2025. As a seasoned test pilot, Shukla has over 2,000 hours of flight experience on various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, and MiG-29.

Axiom Space, a private aerospace company, plans to make space accessible and affordable and build a private space station to replace the aging International Space Station. Axiom Mission 4 is a crucial step towards this goal.