Shubhanshu Shukla heads to ISS today—When and how to watch
What's the story
Shubhanshu Shukla, a 39-year-old IAF pilot from Lucknow, will soon become the second Indian to enter space and first to visit the ISS. He will serve as mission pilot for Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4), launching aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 today at 12:01pm IST from Kennedy Space Center. This mission marks India's re-entry into human spaceflight after 41 years. To watch the liftoff, you can tune into NASA+ broadcast around 11:00am IST.
Mission specifics
Shukla has been in precautionary quarantine for over a month
Shukla was selected by ISRO as the prime astronaut for this historic flight. He has been in precautionary quarantine for over a month before the liftoff, to ensure the crew stays healthy. He has logged over 2,000 flying hours in combat aircraft including Su‑30MKI, MiG‑21, MiG‑29, Jaguar, and Hawk. He was chosen in 2024 as part of India's Gaganyaan program and trained at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and later at ISRO's Bengaluru facility.
International collaboration
Axiom-4 mission: Indo-US project announced during Modi's US visit
The Axiom-4 mission is a joint effort between Houston-based Axiom Space and NASA. It is the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. The Indo-US project, also known as Mission Akash Ganga, was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the US in June 2023. The agreement envisioned a collaborative effort between ISRO and NASA to send an Indian astronaut to the ISS, marking a new chapter in Indo-US space cooperation.
Research objectives
Mission will carry 60 scientific studies from 31 countries
Alongside Shukla, the Axiom-4 mission crew includes Peggy Whitson (former NASA astronaut), Slawosz Uznanski (astronaut from Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungarian astronaut). The misison will carry some 60 scientific studies and activities from 31 countries. Under Ax‑4, Shukla's 14‑day ISS stay will involve seven India‑specific scientific experiments—from muscle-cell studies to microalgae growth and microbial behaviour in microgravity. The targeted docking time is approximately 4:30pm tomorrow.