All Eyes on June 25: Shubhanshu Shukla Ready to Soar with Axiom-4

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India’s Shubhanshu Shukla is about to make history, and after a series of delays, his big day is finally in sight. The Axiom-4 mission is now scheduled for launch in the early hours of June 25, 2025, and there’s a lot of excitement building up.

Key Highlights:

The launch is set for 2:31 a.m. EDT (that’s 12:01 p.m. IST) on June 25 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will head to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule, riding on a Falcon 9 rocket.
Shukla will be the mission pilot, making him only the second Indian to go to space after Rakesh Sharma. He’ll be flying with Commander Peggy Whitson from the US, Tibor Kapu from Hungary, and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland.
This mission is a big deal for India, Hungary, and Poland, as it marks their return to space after more than 40 years.
The launch was originally planned for May but got pushed back several times because of weather and technical issues. Now, everything’s finally lining up.
The crew will spend their time on the ISS running about 60 scientific experiments, including research on cancer, gut health, and bone strength. It’s being called the most science-packed Axiom mission yet.

Docking with the ISS should happen around 4:30 p.m. IST on June 26. The mission is a great example of how private companies and international teams are working together in space.

For India, this is a proud moment and another step forward for its space ambitions.

Source: NASA, Indian Express, ClickOrlando, Space.com, Hindustan Times, Fox35 Orlando, Axiom Space