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Ax-4 Crew, Including India’s First ISS Astronaut in 41 Years, Lifts Off After Multiple Delays

The crew embarks on a two-week mission featuring science experiments from 31 nations alongside cultural mementos symbolizing India’s return to human spaceflight.

Overview

  • A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Axiom-4 Crew Dragon lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 12:01 p.m. IST on June 25.
  • Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS as part of the four-member team led by commander Peggy Whitson.
  • The crew will spend about two weeks aboard the ISS conducting some 60 microgravity experiments representing 31 countries.
  • Shukla brought personal items including mango nectar, traditional halwa sweets, and a plush swan named Joy to share cultural comforts in orbit.
  • The mission’s operational data will inform India’s Gaganyaan program and underscores growing international collaboration in commercial spaceflight.