After 40 years, India returns to space today as Axiom-4 mission with Shukla lifts off

After weeks of uncertainty and multiple technical setbacks, the Axiom-4 mission — carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three international crew members — is now set to lift off June 25 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre.

The launch, scheduled around noon IST from Complex 39A, marks India’s long-awaited return to human spaceflight nearly four decades after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic mission in 1984.

Dubbed ‘Realize the Return’, the private spaceflight will ferry the crew to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule, following a roughly 28-hour journey. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS around 4:30 pm IST on June 26. The team will spend approximately 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory.

The crew comprises US astronaut and space veteran Peggy Whitson, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, and India’s Shukla — who goes by the call sign “Shux” among his peers.

Countdown marked by setbacks

The journey to the launchpad has been anything but smooth. Initially slated for May 29, the mission faced a string of postponements due to complications ranging from electrical faults in the SpaceX Dragon’s harness and a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket, to weather disruptions and critical repairs aboard the ISS.

A major cause of delay was a persistent pressure issue in the station’s Russian-built Zvezda module — a leak first detected in 2019. Though NASA and its partners had carried out repairs, the US space agency insisted on thorough re-evaluation before giving the green light. “Because of the space station’s interconnected and interdependent systems, NASA wants to ensure the station is ready for additional crew members,” the agency had said while scrubbing the earlier June 22 launch window.

An Indian space official confirmed the final delay was a precautionary measure to ensure that no other systems had been compromised after sealing the leak.

Since mid-May, all four astronauts have remained in quarantine — a standard procedure to avoid introducing pathogens into the controlled space environment.

A symbolic leap for India

Shukla’s presence aboard Axiom-4 is a milestone moment for Indian space ambitions. With ISRO preparing for its own crewed Gaganyaan mission, Shukla's participation in an international mission represents both symbolic and strategic significance. Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh underscored the shift: “When Rakesh Sharma went to space, India didn’t even have a launch pad. Now, we’re gearing up for our own human mission. India is no longer on the sidelines.”

Onboard the ISS, Shukla will carry out seven India-backed scientific experiments and join international collaborative research. He will also engage virtually with Indian students, scientists, and leaders, serving as a bridge between the country’s past aspirations and its future in space.

As Axiom-4 prepares to launch, it carries more than astronauts — it carries a nation’s renewed dreams of the stars.