On Wednesday, Florida’s Kennedy Space Center will host the historic private journey to the ISS, known as Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).
The project, which was organized by Axiom Space in partnership with NASA and SpaceX, represents a significant advancement in commercial and international space exploration and has a varied multinational crew.
The mission, which is scheduled to depart from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:31 a.m. EDT (12:01 p.m. IST), will carry four people onboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which will be sent into orbit by a Falcon 9 rocket. It is anticipated to dock with the ISS on Thursday, June 26 at approximately 7:00 a.m. EDT (4:30 p.m. IST).
“Everything is in order for the launch of @Axiom_Space’s Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station on Wednesday, and the weather is 90% conducive to liftoff. The webcast will begin at 12:30 a.m. Prior to the launch, SpaceX made a post on X.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who is representing ISRO, is part of the crew and will pilot the mission. ESA astronaut Sławosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, Tibor Kapu from Hungary, and veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson join him. This mission marks a long-awaited comeback to human spaceflight for Poland, Hungary, and India.
Through its official X handle earlier on Tuesday, NASA confirmed the final schedule: “With @Axiom_Spaceand @SpaceX, we’re now targeting Wednesday, June 25 to launch #Ax4 to the @Space_Station.” At 2:31 am ET (0631 UTC), the four-person crew—which includes astronauts from @ESA and @ISRO—is expected to take off.
Prior to its launch on Wednesday, Axiom-4 had several delays. Unfavorable weather circumstances caused the first postponements, which were followed by technical problems, such as leaks found in the Falcon 9 rocket. The launch was approved following a careful examination and the fixing of the issues.
As part of Axiom Space’s developing program, this is the fourth private astronaut flight to the ISS, indicating a growing interest in commercial space collaborations and missions worldwide.
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