NASA has officially confirmed that the long-anticipated Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission is now slated for liftoff on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. The launch is scheduled for 2:31 AM EDT (12:01 PM IST) from the historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This milestone mission will carry a globally diverse crew to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, using the Dragon spacecraft. Among the crew is Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who will make history as the mission’s pilot.
Ax-4 is the fourth private astronaut mission organized by Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX. The mission has faced a series of six delays since its original target date of May 29. Setbacks included unfavorable weather, technical challenges, and an oxygen leak in the booster, as well as a fault in the ISS service module that postponed the most recent launch attempt on June 22.
With all technical and operational issues now resolved, the mission is ready for departure. If launched as scheduled, the crew is expected to dock with the ISS around 7:00 AM EDT (4:30 PM IST) on Thursday, June 26.
NASA confirmed, “The mission will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory aboard SpaceX’s new Dragon spacecraft following launch on the Falcon 9 rocket. The docking is scheduled for approximately 4:30 PM India Time on June 26.”
The international Ax-4 crew is led by commander Dr. Peggy Whitson, a seasoned former NASA astronaut and now Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight. Alongside pilot Shukla, the team includes Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, who will serve as mission specialists.
This mission further strengthens the partnership between public space agencies and private spaceflight providers, ushering in a new era of globally inclusive space exploration.
