SpaceX has confirmed that all systems are “looking good” for the launch of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), as NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX target a 2:31 AM EDT (12:00 PM IST) liftoff on Wednesday for the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
In a post on X on Tuesday (local time), SpaceX stated that weather conditions are 90% favorable for the launch scheduled for Wednesday evening (local time).
“All systems are looking good for Wednesday’s launch of Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station, and weather is 90 percent favourable for liftoff,” the company said.
The Ax-4 mission will launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission holds special significance for India’s space programme, as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will be piloted by Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force. The spacecraft will launch atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
For Group Captain Shukla, this mission presents a historic opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who became the first Indian in space when he flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on April 3, 1984, as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme.
Now, Group Captain Shukla is set to rewrite history by becoming the second Indian in space and the first to travel to the International Space Station.
The four-member Ax-4 crew, currently in quarantine in Florida, will be led by Commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and now Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. The mission specialists include ESA project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
The Ax-4 mission marks a symbolic “return to human spaceflight” for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each country sponsoring its first government-backed human space mission in over 40 years. While Ax-4 is only the second crewed space mission in the history of these nations, it will be the first time all three will participate in a mission aboard the ISS.
For ISRO and Group Captain Shukla, this mission is a significant milestone, laying the foundation for India’s future in human spaceflight. It also paves the way for India’s first crewed space mission, Gaganyaan, slated for launch in the first quarter of 2027, and the country’s long-term goal of landing an Indian on the Moon by 2040.
(With inputs from ANI)