Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s long‑awaited mission aboard the Axiom Space Axiom‑4 (Ax‑4) to the International Space Station has been rescheduled yet again. Following multiple delays caused by technical and ISS‑based issues, the new launch date is now set for June 19, 2025, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) (livemint.com).
🚀 Mission Overview
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The Ax‑4 mission will ferry a four‑person crew—including Shukla, Commander Peggy Whitson (USA), and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański‑Wiśniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary)—to the ISS for approximately 14 days aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft launched via a Falcon 9 rocket (en.wikipedia.org).
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Launch will take place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, highlighting a private‑public partnership between Axiom Space, SpaceX, NASA, ISRO, and Roscosmos .
🛠️ Delays & Technical Resolutions
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Liquid oxygen leak detected during a Falcon 9 static fire led SpaceX to postpone the May 29 launch; a leak was successfully resolved during joint inspections with ISRO and Axiom Space (m.thewire.in).
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A pressure anomaly in the Russian Zvezda Service Module aboard the ISS surfaced soon after; cosmonauts patched and monitored the area in coordination with NASA and Axiom Space (reuters.com).
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ISRO confirmed that all resolved faults have now cleared the path for the June 19 launch (livemint.com).
🌐 Significance for India
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Historic milestone: Shukla will become the first astronaut from ISRO to visit the ISS, and only the second Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma in 1984 (reuters.com).
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Advancing Gaganyaan: The Ax‑4 flight provides invaluable insight and preparation for India’s upcoming indigenous Gaganyaan manned missions planned from 2027 (en.wikipedia.org).
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Research agenda: The crew will conduct around seven experiments developed by Indian institutions, exploring topics like microgravity effects on algae, muscle regeneration, food crop growth, and interaction with electronic devices (en.wikipedia.org).
🔎 What to Expect
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A flawless liftoff on June 19 from Cape Canaveral via Falcon 9.
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Docking with the ISS and 14 days of collaborative scientific research alongside the station’s crew.
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Telemetry data and updates shared by participating agencies, with global media coverage anticipating this landmark mission.
Disclaimer: This article is compiled using information available up to June 14, 2025, referencing statements by ISRO, Axiom Space, SpaceX, NASA, and media reporting. All technical assessments and launch timelines are subject to further change by mission authorities. Any future updates post-dating this report may not be included here.
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