The launch of Axiom Space’s mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which includes Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, has been postponed to June 10. The Houston-based private space company informed about the delay in a post on X.
“The #Ax4 crew is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on June 10 at 8:22 AM EDT from Launch Complex 39A at @NASAKennedy,” Axiom Space wrote in the post.
The #Ax4 crew is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on June 10 at 8:22 AM EDT from Launch Complex 39A at @NASAKennedy. Tune in for the launch broadcast starting at 6:15 AM EDT. pic.twitter.com/2ACocwFRSQ
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) June 3, 2025
Captain Shukla is part of the first team of Indian astronauts trained for human spaceflight, with Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair serving as his designated backup.
Furthermore, according to ANI, the Ax-4 mission, managed by Axiom Space and launched via SpaceX Falcon 9, is a landmark for India’s first astronaut-scientist-led space biology experiments onboard the ISS.
Axiom Space, on May 15, had posted, “Now targeting no earlier than Sunday, June 8 for Falcon 9 to launch Ax-4, @Axiom_Space’s fourth mission to the @Space_Station, from pad 39A in Florida.”
Food, Nutrition-Related Experiments
Earlier, on Saturday, Union Minister for Department of Space, Jitendra Singh, had announced that Astronaut Shukla will conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments onboard the ISS as part of the upcoming Ax-4, a statement from the Ministry of Science and Technology stated.
Union Minister Singh added that the first ISS experiment will examine the impact of microgravity and space radiation on edible microalgae, a high-potential, nutrient-rich food source. The study will focus on key growth parameters and the changes in transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes of various algal species in space compared to Earth conditions.
The second experiment will investigate the growth and proteomic response of cyanobacteria–specifically Spirulina and Synechococcus– under microgravity, using urea- and nitrate-based media. The research will evaluate the potential of Spirulina as a space “superfood” due to its high protein and vitamin content, assess the feasibility of using nitrogen sources derived from human waste, such as urea, for cyanobacterial growth, and study the effects of microgravity on cellular metabolism and biological efficiency.
Who Is Shubhanshu Shukla?
Group Captain Shukla will be the first astronaut from the ISRO to visit the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. He will also be India’s second national astronaut to go to space since Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
The IAF pilot is among the astronauts chosen for ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission, India’s first human space flight. He was promoted to group captain in March of 2024.
Once docked at the ISS, the private astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities, ANI reported.
Apart from Group Captain Shukla, the mission also carries two mission specialists – European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary to stay aboard the space station.
In addition, Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission.
(with ANI inputs)