Axiom-4: Weather favourable, Shubhanshu Shukla space mission set for liftoff today

“SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, June 11 for Falcon 9’s launch of Axiom Space’s Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch is targeted for 8:00 am ET (eastern time, 5.30 pm IST), with a backup opportunity available on Thursday, June 12 at 7:37 am ET (5.07 pm IST),” a statement on the website of SpaceX said.

The Ax-4 mission is using Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX for the trip to the ISS, the world’s largest private space company.

At a pre-launch press conference early Tuesday (India time), Jimmy Taeger, Launch Weather Officer at US Space Force, said there were small chances of isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms on the mornings of Wednesday and Thursday in areas near the launch site, but was hopeful that the launch would go through.

The astronauts onboard Ax-4 mission, one each from India, Poland, Hungary and the US, will spend two weeks at the ISS, and would be involved in about 60 experiments, scientific studies and outreach programmes. India, Poland and Hungary are sending their first astronauts to space in over 40 years, and the first ones to the space station.

“This mission will launch the first ISRO astronaut to the (International Space) station, enabling joint onboard collaborations between NASA and the Indian space agency. The collaboration delivers on a commitment to send the first Indian astronaut to the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency and was highlighted by President (Donald) Trump and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi during the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Washington DC last February,” Dana Weigel, Manager, International Space Station Program, at NASA, said at the pre-launch press conference.

“As part of NASA and ISRO collaboration on this upcoming mission, the space agencies are participating in five joint science investigations and two outreach demonstrations. Science investigations include studying microalgae, sprouting salad seeds, tardigrade survival adaptations, muscle repair, and assessing electronic displays,” Weigel said.

The mission is being managed and operated by Axiom Space, a private US space company, and has been facilitated by NASA which has been encouraging private participation in human spaceflights to the ISS and low-earth orbits.

“This is a really incredible time for human spaceflight, with more opportunities to access space and to grow and thriving commercial economy around it,” Weigel said.

The Ax-4 mission will take 28 hours after the launch to reach and dock with the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth at a distance of about 400 km from the Earth’s surface.