Shukla is India’s second national astronaut to go to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s flight in 1984.
Falcon 9 Lifts Off with Crew Dragon ‘Grace’ for Axiom Mission 4; Currently Over The South Pacific Ocean
Space X Axiom Mission 4 latest updates: After multiple delays, Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla embarked on his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which launched successfully at 2:31 a.m. EDT (0631 GMT) on June 25, 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
The mission was carried out using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off carrying the company’s newest Crew Dragon spacecraft, named “Grace”. In keeping with tradition, the first crew to fly aboard a new Dragon capsule is given the honor of naming it. The Ax-4 astronauts revealed the name “Grace” once they reached orbit.
Watch Falcon 9 launch Dragon and @Axiom_Space's Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station https://t.co/OJYRpM5JCF
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 25, 2025
Besides India, the Ax-4 crew includes astronauts from Poland and Hungary, marking the first-ever missions to the ISS by each of these countries. It is also the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission for all three nations in over four decades.
In his first message from space, Shukla said, “Namaskar, my dear countrymen. What a ride. After 40 years, we have once again reached space and it was an amazing ride. On my shoulders, I have my tri-colour, which is telling me that I am not alone and that you are all with me.”
He added,“This is not the start of my journey to the ISS but the start of India’s human space programme. I want my countrymen to become part of this journey. Let us join together and start India’s human space programme. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.”
Shukla is India’s second national astronaut to go to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s flight in 1984.
The Ax-4 mission was initially scheduled for June 11, but faced a two-week delay due to high-altitude winds, according to a SpaceX report.
About 9 minutes after launch, the Falcon 9’s second stage completed its orbital insertion and deployed Crew Dragon “Grace”, beginning the spacecraft’s final leg of its journey to the ISS.
The Ax-4 crew is expected to spend approximately 14 days aboard the station. After about 24 hours of orbital transit, Dragon is scheduled to dock with the Harmony module’s dorsal port at around 7:00 AM EDT (11:00 GMT) on Thursday, June 26.
Their return to Earth is expected in the second week of July, subject to favorable weather conditions in Dragon’s designated splashdown zone.
Current location of the spacecraft:
It has been 2 hours and 36 minutes since launch. Dragon is orbiting Earth at a speed of 26,844 km/h at an altitude of 264 km. The spacecraft is currently flying over the South Pacific Ocean, particularly the southeastern region, near the Tasman Sea—between Australia and New Zealand.
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