NASA Confirms June 25 Launch for Axiom-4 Mission With India’s Shubhanshu Shukla Onboard

NASA has confirmed that Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station is scheduled for launch on June 25, following a series of earlier delays caused by technical, weather, and safety issues. 

The mission will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, both cleared for flight.

Image Source: AstroPeggy on X

Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the mission. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force will serve as pilot, becoming only the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission. 

Shukla, from Lucknow, brings over 2,000 flight hours on fighter jets such as the MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI.

The crew also includes mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, both representing the European Space Agency. 

All crew members remain in pre-flight quarantine as final preparations proceed.

The mission highlights growing international collaboration in human spaceflight, with India, Europe, and private operators joining NASA in advancing low-Earth orbit missions.