Axiom mission 4 launch date and time: Shubhanshu Shukla set to take spaceflight tomorrow, check NASA’s latest update
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared an update on the Axiom-4 mission on June 24 which is set to carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station. After several delays, the space mission is now eying June 25 as its launch date. NASA issued a statement on Tuesday to make this major announcement.
Axiom mission 4 launch date and time
“NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are targeting 2:31 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, June 25, for launch of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4,” NASA said.
Led by Commander Peggy Whitson, the space crew is set to travel to the orbiting laboratory onboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. With Shubhanshu Shukla as mission pilot and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski as mission specialists, the spaceflight is scheduled to dock at the International Space Station (ISS) on June 26 at around 7:00 AM 4:30 pm IST.
The statement further notes that the mission will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It added, “The crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking time is approximately 7 a.m. Thursday, June 26.”
Joint venture of NASA, SpaceX and ISRO, this space mission is crucial for India as Shubhanshu Shukla is on the cusp of making history with Axiom-4. Success of this mission will make Shubhanshu Shukla the second Indian in orbit, after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma and the first to visit the ISS.
Initially, the mission was scheduled for lift-off on May 29 but was then postponed to June 8, then June 10, June 11 and then finally to June 22. The mission was postponed multiple time in the past due to crucial repairs in the spacecraft as well as the launchpad and unfavourable weather conditions.
