Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla‘s Axiom-4 mission on Wednesday lifted off to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. This is the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station by NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX. The crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking time is approximately 4.30 pm IST on Thursday, June 26, NASA said in a statement.
A video showed the moment the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, marking the success of the Axiom-4 Mission. Moments before the lift off, Dragon’s hatch had closed and all communication and completed suit checks. Further, the seats were rotated as the crew prepared for launch. Joining the mission are Slawosz Uznanski of Poland, a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. Uznanski will be Poland’s second astronaut since 1978, while Kapu will be Hungary’s second since 1980.
Veteran American astronaut Peggy Whitson is commanding the mission, adding to her record for the longest cumulative time spent in space by any American. The four-member crew had remained in quarantine in Florida while it prepared for the launch, once the station was cleared to receive them.