The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:31 am EDT (12 noon IST) on Tuesday, marking a major milestone in private spaceflight and international collaboration.
This fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is piloted by Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is also among the astronauts selected for India’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission. Commanding the crew is Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. Mission specialists include ESA project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
The Dragon capsule is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 7 am EDT (4 pm IST) on June 26. The crew will spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, engaging in science, outreach, and commercial activities.
Ax-4 features the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit—an advanced system developed for future lunar missions and human operations beyond low-Earth orbit. These suits are designed to accommodate a diverse range of astronauts while enhancing performance and safety in microgravity.
The mission will conduct around 60 scientific experiments across disciplines, making it Axiom’s most research-intensive mission yet. Participating nations include the US, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and several European countries.
NASA and ISRO are collaborating on several high-impact investigations, including:
- Muscle regeneration in microgravity
- Growth of edible sprouts and microalgae
- Survivability of tiny aquatic organisms
- Human interaction with digital interfaces in space
Ax-4 builds on the legacy of earlier missions—Axiom-1 (April 2022), Axiom-2 (May 2023), and Axiom-3 (January 2024)—each contributing to the evolution of private spaceflight and global space cooperation.
As the ISS continues to serve as a platform for cutting-edge science and human endurance, Ax-4 underscores the growing role of international partnerships and commercial innovation in shaping the future of space exploration.
