The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission crew — featuring Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla — is now scheduled to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) on July 14, Axiom Space announced on Thursday.
Originally set to return on July 10, the crew’s stay has been extended by at least four days, with undocking now slated for no earlier than 7:05 am ET (4:35 pm IST) on Sunday.
Axiom Space confirmed the revised timeline in a post on X, stating, “The #Ax4 crew is scheduled to undock from the @Space_Station no earlier than Monday, July 14, at 7:05 a.m. ET.”
Launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Dragon spacecraft carrying the Ax-4 crew successfully docked with the ISS on June 26. The docking occurred ahead of schedule at 4:05 pm IST, connecting to the space-facing port of the Harmony module.
Since their arrival, the Ax-4 crew — Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu “Shux” Shukla, and Mission Specialists Slawosz “Suave” Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu — have been engaged in a series of scientific research and technology demonstrations aboard the ISS.
Axiom Space noted that Group Captain Shukla conducted three key experiments on Tuesday, including one studying the effects of microgravity on plant germination and early growth. The seeds from this experiment will be further cultivated on Earth across multiple generations to assess changes in genetics, microbiomes, and nutrition.
In another experiment, Shukla worked with microalgae to evaluate their capacity to support human life in space through oxygen production, food generation, and biofuel development — essential factors for sustaining long-duration missions.
The mission reflects Axiom Space’s commitment to combining cutting-edge research with international collaboration in advancing human space exploration and Earth-based innovation.
