India’s Shubhanshu Shukla to Launch on Axiom-4 Mission on June 25 After Multiple Delays

Launch to take place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket

India’s Shubhanshu Shukla is now scheduled to embark on his space journey aboard the Axiom-4 mission on June 25, as confirmed by NASA on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The mission, which marks a significant moment for India, Hungary, and Poland in commercial space travel, has experienced several postponements due to technical issues.

The lift-off is now targeted for 2:31 a.m. EDT (12:01 p.m. IST) on Wednesday, June 25, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The crew will ride aboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launched by a Falcon 9 rocket.

Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as the mission pilot, alongside Commander Peggy Whitson, Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu, and Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, who will both serve as mission specialists.

Originally scheduled for launch on May 29, the Axiom-4 mission faced repeated delays—first to June 8, then June 10 and 11—due to a liquid oxygen leak detected in Falcon 9’s boosters, followed by leaks in the ageing Russian module of the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was later pushed to June 19 and June 22 to allow further evaluation of the ISS systems after repairs.

NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space are now confident about the June 25 timeline, with docking at the ISS expected around 7:00 a.m. EDT (4:30 p.m. IST) on Thursday, June 26.

The Axiom-4 mission represents a significant leap for private astronaut missions, offering astronauts from multiple nations an opportunity to engage in advanced research and international collaboration aboard the ISS.