40 years later, Shubhanshu Shukla to take India to space
What's the story
Houston-based Axiom Space has successfully conducted an internal Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for its upcoming Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission is slated to launch on June 8 at 9:11am EDT (6:41pm IST) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be conducted using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a multinational crew aboard a brand-new Dragon spacecraft. The crew members are confirmed, and all systems are ready for Axiom's most research-intensive mission yet.
Crew composition
Meet the crew of Ax-4 mission
Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will lead the Ax-4 mission. This will be her fifth orbital spaceflight and second for Axiom. The upcoming mission will take her record to nearly 700 days spent off Earth. The crew also includes IAF pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, who will become the first Indian astronaut to travel to space, after Rakesh Sharma's mission in 1984. Alongside Whitson and Shukla, mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary will also be onboard.
Research focus
Ax-4 mission to conduct over 60 experiments
The Ax-4 crew will spend around 14 days on the ISS, performing over 60 science and outreach activities. These experiments and activities are contributions from as many as 31 countries. Dana Weigel, NASA's ISS program manager, called this mission a "phenomenal way" to expand the space agency's research footprint on the ISS. Seventeen of these experiments are being supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with Poland for Ax-4.
Future plans
Axiom Space's vision for a private space station
Axiom Space is taking steps toward its ultimate goal of running a private space station in low Earth orbit. The company is aiming as early as 2027 for launching its first station module, which will first attach to the ISS before other modules can provide the power and life support necessary for independence. Axiom Chief of Mission Services Allen Flynt expects these missions to continue reflecting the multinational representation that Ax-4 and previous Axiom missions have exemplified.