Historic Return: India's Shubhanshu Shukla to Lead Axiom-4 Mission to Space

The launch of the Axiom-4 mission, featuring Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, has been postponed due to weather. The mission, scheduled for June 11, 2025, will mark India's return to human spaceflight. Shukla joins Commander Peggy Whitson and specialists from Hungary and Poland for the 14-day journey.

Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the anticipated Axiom-4 mission launch, which includes Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, has been rescheduled to June 11, according to a statement by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday evening.

The launch, originally set to occur at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida via SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket, has now been postponed for a day, with a targeted liftoff time of 5:30 PM IST on June 11, 2025.

This mission symbolizes India's reentry into human space exploration, marking 41 years since Rakesh Sharma's historic space journey. Shukla, from Lucknow, is set to participate alongside Commander Peggy Whitson, and specialists Tigor Kapu and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, representing a collaborative international effort.