Axiom Space Launches Fourth ISS Mission After Delays; Indian Pilot Among Crew – This marks Axiom Space’s fourth crewed flight to the International Space Station.
Axiom Space has successfully launched its fourth commercial crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The journey from launch to docking takes just over a day, and the crew will spend approximately two weeks aboard the station. The Ax-4 mission faced several weeks of delays due to multiple issues.
The mission is commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, marking her fifth spaceflight. She previously completed three long-duration missions with NASA and returned to the ISS in 2023 on Axiom’s Ax-2 mission.
The crew includes Indian pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu. All three are the second individuals from their respective countries to reach orbit. Uznanski-Wisniewski is also a reserve astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA), which partially funded his commercial spaceflight.
Originally planned for early spring, the mission faced multiple setbacks. NASA reassigned the Crew Dragon Endurance to a long-term mission (Crew-10), pushing Ax-4’s schedule. Technical delays, including issues with other spacecraft and weather conditions, followed. A planned June 11 launch was postponed due to an oxygen leak in the rocket. Later, an accelerated pressure drop on the ISS led NASA to withhold authorization. The final launch approval was given on June 23.
During the mission, the Ax-4 crew will conduct around 60 scientific experiments, including research projects from NASA and India’s ISRO. Notably, the astronauts were also given the honor of naming the Crew Dragon spacecraft—now officially called Grace, the fifth and final vehicle of its kind from SpaceX.
Earlier, it was reported that ESA has identified potential replacements for the ISS from a number of upcoming private space stations.