Cape Canaveral, Florida – The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) is set to launch today, June 25, 2025, at 2:31 a.m. EDT (12:01 p.m. IST) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will carry four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft, marking a new milestone in international human spaceflight cooperation and commercial space travel.

Commanded by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, the Ax-4 crew includes Indian Air Force pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who will become the second Indian to fly into space and the first to travel to the ISS. The other two mission specialists are Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, both representing their countries on their inaugural ISS journey.

All systems for the launch are reported to be in excellent condition. Weather forecasts predict a 90% chance of favorable conditions at liftoff. This comes after multiple earlier delays due to technical issues, including a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon 9 booster and a minor pressure leak in the Russian Zvezda module of the ISS. Repairs have since been completed, and the mission received final clearance from NASA and Roscosmos teams.

Ax-4 is scheduled to dock with the ISS on June 26 around 7 a.m. EDT (4:30 p.m. IST). Once aboard, the international crew will spend up to 14 days conducting over 60 experiments across life sciences, material research, microgravity technology demonstrations, and Earth observation. These efforts are expected to yield scientific insights and foster greater global collaboration in space research.

For India, the mission represents a significant leap forward in human spaceflight. It renews national interest after a gap of more than four decades since Rakesh Sharma's 1984 spaceflight. Shukla’s participation is also expected to support the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Gaganyaan mission, which is set to launch in the coming years.

The launch will be streamed live by NASA, Axiom Space, and other partners through their respective online platforms, starting about two hours before liftoff. If all goes as planned, the mission will conclude in early July with the capsule's splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of California.

Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA see this mission as another major step toward routine commercial missions and private space station operations in low-Earth orbit.