ISRO has announced that the Axiom-4 mission, featuring Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, is provisionally slated to launch on June 19, 2025. This information was communicated following updates from Axiom Space concerning the evaluation of a pressure anomaly within the International Space Station’s (ISS) Zvezda Service Module. The mission is a joint undertaking between NASA, ISRO, Axiom Space, and SpaceX. Union Minister Jitendra Singh shared the news on his X account, stating the adjusted launch date and also confirmed that SpaceX had addressed all previously identified issues that caused prior launch delays. Despite these updates, no official launch date announcement has been made by Axiom Space or NASA. The launch has faced multiple postponements, originally set for May 29, and subsequently moved to June 8, June 9, and then June 10. ISRO attributed these delays to issues with the Falcon-9 vehicle’s preparedness and, in the case of the June 10 postponement, adverse weather conditions.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force Test Pilot and Astronaut, is a native of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He was inspired by the Kargil War and went on to attend the National Defence Academy, graduating with a degree in Computer Science in 2005. He then joined the Indian Air Force and became a Flying Officer in June 2006. With around 2,000 flight hours, he is a combat leader and experienced test pilot.