Shubhanshu Shukla to dock at ISS today—When, how to watch
What's the story
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, serving as the pilot for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), is poised to make history today as the first Indian to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). Following a successful launch yesterday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Shukla and his international crew are now in orbit. They are preparing for their autonomous docking with the orbiting laboratory at around 4:30pm IST. Viewers can watch the historic event live via NASA's official YouTube channel.
Crew details
Meet the Axiom-4 crew
The Axiom-4 crew comprises Commander Peggy Whitson from the US, Mission Specialists Sawosz Uznaski-Winiewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Shukla, who is also known as 'Shux' by his team, will play a crucial role during docking at the ISS. As the mission pilot, he will monitor trajectory and orbital parameters as Dragon prepares to dock with the space station.
Mission details
Shukla to perform 7 experiments in microgravity
Once docking is successful, the Axiom-4 crew will conduct around 60 experiments in microgravity. Shukla is set to perform around seven of these experiments. NASA and ISRO are collaborating on "five joint science investigations and two in-orbit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics demonstrations," as part of this mission. The Dragon spacecraft will autonomously dock at the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module.
Historic flight
First joint flight of India, Poland, and Hungary
The Axiom-4 mission marks a major milestone as the first joint flight of India, Poland, and Hungary. This is also Shukla's first spaceflight. The astronauts will be greeted by their seven Expedition 73 crewmates after docking and participate in a safety briefing with the station residents. The mission will conduct about 60 scientific experiments and outreach activities involving 31 countries including India, US, Poland among others.