On June 26, 2025, Indian Air Force test pilot Shubhanshu Shukla arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission. This mission marks a historic moment for India, as Shukla becomes the first Indian astronaut to reach the ISS. He is also the first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharmaโs 1984 mission, ending a 40-year gap in India’s human spaceflight history.
“Congratulations to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on becoming the first Indian to reach the International Space Station! A proud and historic moment for every Indianโa major milestone in our human spaceflight journey. His message from space echoes the spirit of a rising India and inspires generations ahead.” posted Mr. Om Birla, speaker of the 18th Indian Lok Sabha, on X (formerly Twitter).
Launched atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Grace from NASAโs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25 at 2:31 a.m. EDT (12:01 p.m. IST), the mission carried four astronauts to the ISS, including Shubhanshu.
He is joined by Polish astronaut Sลawosz Uznaลski-Wiลniewski, Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu, and America’s most experienced astronaut, Peggy Whitson.
The Axiom-4 mission crew will spend approximately two weeks aboard the ISS, carrying out more than 60 experiments from 31 countries, including joint work by India and Europe on farming, muscle repair, tiny life forms, and health research. These activities will help future missions like Indiaโs Gaganyaan.
The Dragon capsule Grace docked with the ISS at 7:15 a.m. EDT (4:45 p.m. IST) on June 26. The hatch was opened at 8:23 a.m. EDT (5:53 p.m. IST), where Expedition 73 crew members Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Don Pettit, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov welcomed the Axiom-4 crew aboard.
The launch was delayed several times before due to bad weather, a Falcon 9 fuel leak, and a small air leak on the ISS. Engineers fixed the problems before clearing the mission for launch finally on June 25.
Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) is the fourth privately operated crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This launch marks a historic return to government-sponsored spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungaryโeach nationโs first such mission in over 40 years.
The Axiom missions are private spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS) conducted by Axiom Space, Inc., in collaboration with SpaceX and NASA. Founded in 2016 by Michael T. Suffredini and Kam Ghaffarian, the company aims to build the worldโs first commercial space station, known as Axiom Station.
This modular station is designed to initially attach to the ISS and will eventually separate from the ISS to operate as an independent commercial station in space.