First Images Out: Axiom-4 Crew Boards Brand New Crew Dragon for Historic Launch

New Delhi: The first images are out from the launchpad as the Axiom Space Mission 4 inches closer to liftoff. Hours ahead of the scheduled launch, the checkout and crew ingress procedures began, showing the crew suiting up and making their way to the spacecraft. 

Aboard the brand-new Crew Dragon capsule (C13) are mission commander Peggy Whitson, Indian pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and two European mission specialists, ready to embark on a landmark journey in space exploration.

The countdown is on for a historic moment! Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to soar into space today, June 25, aboard the much-anticipated Axiom Space Mission 4. Scheduled for lift-off at 12 noon IST (2:31 a.m. EDT), the mission marks a monumental step forward in India’s journey into human spaceflight.

MLA Commander Michael L-A taking to his X shared the images of the crew before they head to the suit-up facility. 

The crew is set to lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, launched by the Falcon 9 rocket. This landmark mission is a collaborative effort involving NASA, Axiom Space, SpaceX, ISRO, and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Representing ISRO and the Indian Air Force, Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as the mission’s pilot, becoming the second Indian to venture into space after Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984. He is joined by mission commander and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, along with mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

Known as Axiom-4 or Mission Akash Ganga, the flight faced several delays due to weather and technical challenges. Originally scheduled for May 29, today’s launch follows extensive safety checks by both SpaceX and ISRO to ensure a smooth journey.

The crew is expected to dock with the International Space Station on June 26 at 7 AM on Thursday.