Shukla-piloted Axiom-4 launch to ISS now on June 10; Indian astronaut says ‘even stars are attainable, Jai Hind’

NEW DELHI: The launch of the Axiom mission, which will carry Indian astronaut-designate Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station, has been postponed to June 10, it was announced on Tuesday.“The Ax4 crew is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on June 10 at 8:22 AM EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASAKennedy,” Axiom Space posted on X.The mission, part of Axiom Space's Ax-4 programme, was originally slated for take-off on May 29 and then rescheduled for June 8, but operational adjustments and quarantine protocols have now led to the launch date being pushed to June 10.During a virtual press conference, Shukla said the Ax-4 crew will interact with school students, educators and members of the Indian space industry.

“For the people of India, this mission is a milestone and I request India to pray for its success. Even stars are attainable, Jai Hind,” he said, adding that he would be carrying Indian delicacies such as mango nectar, moong dal halwa and carrot halwa on the space flight.PM Narendra Modi is expected to interact with the Ax-4 crew during their 14-day stay at the ISS. “We will have one with an Indian VVIP,” Shukla said to a question on interaction with the PM from space.

Shukla, who will serve as the mission’s pilot, is set to make history as the first Indian to visit the ISS and only the second Indian in space—following Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 mission. The Ax-4 crew includes mission commander Peggy Whitson, a veteran Nasa astronaut, and specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.Shukla will be the second Indian to travel to space four decades after Rakesh Sharma's iconic spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in 1984.On Tuesday, space minister Jitendra Singh announced that Group Capt Shukla will study physical, cognitive and physiological responses in space, as well as the impact of utilising continuous electronic displays in microgravity, an important issue for future long-duration space missions. Further, Shukla’s research will focus on skeletal muscle dysfunction in space and the evaluation of therapeutic strategies to counter these effects.The minister shared that the astronaut-designate will also carry out experiments on the revival, survival, and reproduction of extremophiles such as Tardigrades. These micro-organisms, known for their resilience in extreme conditions, will help advance scientific understanding of the sustainability of life beyond Earth.Speaking on India’s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, Singh said its trial phases are currently under way, and the mission is scheduled for early 2027. Such ventures will be game-changers for India's space ecosystem, allowing the country to become truly Atmanirbhar in the domain. He highlighted that India's space economy is projected to grow five-fold from $8 billion to $44 billion in the near future.