Florida [US], June 25 (ANI): The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:31 am Eastern Time (12 Noon IST) on Tuesday.
The crew is en route to the orbiting laboratory aboard a newly developed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, with docking scheduled around 7 am ET (4 pm IST) on Thursday, June 26. Once docked, the astronauts are set to spend up to 14 days aboard the ISS, conducting a comprehensive mission featuring scientific research, outreach, and commercial initiatives.
The Ax-4 mission is commanded by Peggy Whitson, a veteran NASA astronaut and current Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space. Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, representing the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), serves as the mission pilot. This historic mission marks Shukla’s debut in space, making him the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma and the first Indian to visit the ISS.
Mission specialists include Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. For Poland and Hungary, this is their first government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in more than 40 years.
The Ax-4 mission is notable for introducing the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) — a new generation of spacesuits designed to support NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program. These suits offer enhanced performance, greater flexibility, and the ability to accommodate a broader range of astronaut body types.
Ax-4 will also be the most science-intensive private mission to the ISS to date. The astronauts will carry out approximately 60 scientific studies and technology demonstrations representing 31 countries, including the US, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE, and various European nations.
Collaborations between NASA and ISRO feature prominently in the mission. Planned studies include muscle regeneration in microgravity, the cultivation of sprouts and edible microalgae, the resilience of tiny aquatic organisms, and human interaction with electronic displays in space.
Axiom Space previously launched three private astronaut missions — Ax-1 in April 2022, Ax-2 in May 2023, and Ax-3 in January 2024 — with each mission building on the last in terms of complexity and scientific scope. Ax-4 now sets a new benchmark with its global participation and expanded research agenda.
The ISS remains a platform for international cooperation and cutting-edge science, sustaining human presence in low Earth orbit for over 24 years. Through missions like Ax-4, it continues to serve as a testbed for life beyond Earth. (ANI)
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