The Impressive TimesChennai, May 21 – NASA will conduct the Flight Readiness Review for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which will be piloted by Indian astronaut Group Captain Subanshu Shukla, on June 8. The mission is bound for the International Space Station (ISS).
According to NASA, the Ax-4 mission is scheduled for launch on June 8, 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Dana Weigel, ISS Program Manager, stated on May 21 that the station program will hold the flight readiness review to assess mission preparedness.
Group Captain Shukla will serve as the pilot for the mission. The Ax-4 crew also includes Commander Peggy Whitson (USA), Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland), and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Ax-4 crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft, launching from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
Sarah Walker, Director of Dragon Mission Management at SpaceX, confirmed that the final integration campaign for the Dragon spacecraft is currently underway.
“We expect to transport the Dragon to our hangar next week for integration with the rocket ahead of launch,” she said.
Originally slated for launch earlier this month, the mission was postponed by a few days to accommodate additional testing activities.
NASA and ISRO will jointly host a public downlink event to highlight the strength of international collaboration and their shared commitment to broadening access to space.
As part of this mission, NASA and ISRO will jointly conduct five scientific investigations and two outreach programs. Additionally, ISRO and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed an agreement to collaborate on microgravity research during the Ax-4 mission, which marks India’s first crewed ISS mission.
ISRO stated that the agreement with ESA encompasses cooperation in astronaut training, mission implementation, and scientific research. The collaboration opens doors for joint microgravity experiments.
Several Indian-led microgravity research experiments have been jointly shortlisted by ISRO and ESA for implementation aboard the ISS during Ax-4. These include:
Comparative growth and proteomics responses of cyanobacteria on urea and nitrate in microgravity
Impact of microgravity on growth and yield parameters in food crop seeds
These experiments are currently undergoing various stages of evaluation in line with the safety-focused approach essential for human spaceflight missions.
Furthermore, ISRO and ESA will carry out joint studies in human research and other scientific and technological demonstration experiments. Collaborations with other space agencies on microgravity research during Ax-4 are also actively being pursued.
Microgravity research has significant potential applications across human health, physical and material sciences, novel drug development, and biotechnology. This mission offers a unique opportunity for India’s scientific community to expand its footprint in space-based research.
ISRO’s Human Spaceflight Program, including the Gaganyaan mission, aims to encourage and support domestic scientists in conducting microgravity research through both indigenous and international space missions.
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