The Axiom-4 crew – left to right – Mission Specialist Sławosz Uzanański-Wiśniewksi from Poland, Commander Peggy Whitson from the US, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
As Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla gets set for his maiden space flight as part of Axiom Space’s fourth commercial mission, he says he will be carrying the “hopes and dreams of a billion hearts.” and that it was not just a mission but “a milestone for the people of India,” he said.
“I request India to pray for the success of the mission…Even stars are attainable,” said Shukla, who will be the second Indian to travel to space, nearly four decades after Rakesh Sharma’s iconic space travel in 1984.
The Axiom-4 mission crew, who are currently in quarantine before their travel to the ISS, were speaking at a press conference on Tuesday night.
Axiom also announced that the mission date has now been pushed back to June 10, onboard SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. “After around 28 hours in orbit, the crew and Dragon are scheduled to dock with the International Space Station at approximately 12:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday June 11,” the company said.
“The best part of this amazing journey is yet to come,” said Shukla, urging Indians watching the mission to “be curious and excited.”
The Axiom-4 experience is expected to be useful and would aid both Shukla and India, as the country plans its own Gaganyaan mission for 2027.
To queries on whether he will interact with Indians during his 14-days in space, he said: “We have several planned live events from orbit, including one [interaction] we will have with an Indian VVIP,” indicating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to interact with the crew during their stay at the International Space Station. The Indian astronaut said they would also interact with school students, members of the Indian space industry, and others.
When asked about how he was feeling in the last leg before the launch, the practical Shukla said that a long list of tasks to be undertaken in preparation for the lift-off meant that there was no time for “big feelings.” Even after we reach space, there is an orchestrated set of tasks to completed, he added. “However, I am very excited to know the number that will be assigned to me while in orbit; we will be referred to by our numbers in space,” he said.
The other crew members include Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, marking both nations’ first travel to the International Space Station. Veteran US astronaut Peggy Whitson is the commander of the mission. Once docked, the astronauts will spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting scientific and commercial activities.
While praising her team’s dedication and work ethic, Commander Whitson also introduced the crew’s zero-gravity indicator. Joy, a swan, has been chosen to represent “Wisdom in India, Resilience in Poland and Grace in Hungary,” she said.
ISRO has lined up seven experiments for Shukla. This includes focus on India-centric food for carrying out experiments on the ISS, including sprouting methi (Fenugreek) and moong (green gram) in microgravity conditions. The astronaut will also expose the seeds to space conditions and bring them back to earth, where they will be cultivated, not just once, but over generations.
Shukla will also participate in other joint studies planned by NASA for its human research programme.
Published on June 4, 2025