Overview

• The Dragon spacecraft ‘Grace’ docked autonomously with the Harmony module on June 26, officially beginning Axiom-4’s two-week mission aboard the ISS.
• IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla entered the station as the first Indian astronaut at the ISS and will lead seven experiments developed by Indian research institutions.
• Commander Peggy Whitson of the US and mission specialists from Poland and Hungary join Shukla in executing a research agenda representing 31 countries.
• ISRO funded the mission seat to acquire operational insights that will inform its upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight program and plans for a national space station.
• Axiom-4 highlights the expanding role of private spaceflight ventures in advancing international collaboration and microgravity research on low-Earth orbit platforms.