Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to embark on a historic journey as he prepares to lift off to the International Space Station tomorrow. This marks India&rsquo;s first presence aboard the ISS through a private mission, following Rakesh Sharma&rsquo;s 1984 voyage to Salyut 7.
Shukla, an IAF Group Captain and Gaganyaan astronaut-designate, will pilot Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is scheduled for June 10 at 5:52 pm IST from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A backup launch window is available on June 11 at 5:30 pm IST.
The four-member crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson from the US, along with mission specialists Sławosz Uznański‑Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. After a roughly 28-hour journey, they are expected to dock at the ISS on June 11 and remain for up to two weeks.
During his stay, Shukla will conduct around 60 scientific experiments as part of Ax‑4&rsquo;s international agenda. Among these, seven India-specific investigations&mdash;born of ISRO and DBT collaboration with NASA&mdash;will examine food and nutrition in space. A key study will test the growth of edible microalgae under microgravity and radiation, while others will explore muscle cell behavior, tardigrades, and crop seed viability to support future long-duration missions.
In the days leading up to launch, Shukla and his team completed a full dress rehearsal, running through every step of launch day protocol. Shukla expressed gratitude for being part of something &ldquo;much larger than yourself&rdquo; and said he feels &ldquo;extremely fortunate.&rdquo;
This mission not only underscores global cooperation in space but also charts a course for India&rsquo;s upcoming indigenous human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan. It reaffirms the nation&rsquo;s ambition and technological maturity in the realm of human space exploration. Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.

Shukla along with Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission specialists Sławosz Uznański‑Wisniewski  and Tibor Kapu

IAF’s Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot ax-4 mission aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 to ISS, marking India’s first ISS voyage

Indian Astronaut Shukla Set for ISS Lift-Off June 10

IAF’s Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot ax-4 mission aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 to ISS, marking India’s first ISS voyage

June 9, 2025 | 14:04 IST