Axiom-4: India's Quest Beyond the Stars

The highly anticipated Axiom-4 mission, spearheaded by Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, is now slated for launch on June 8 from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. This mission, which faced a postponement from its initial May 29 launch date, is a collaborative effort between Axiom Space and NASA, a pivotal step in international space exploration.

Joining Shukla are crew members from Poland and Hungary, marking historic firsts for these nations on the International Space Station (ISS). Notably, Shukla's journey symbolizes a leap in India's space narrative, coming nearly four decades after the legendary Rakesh Sharma's voyage. This mission aims to foster microgravity research, pivotal for India's ambitions to establish a space station by 2035 and dispatch astronauts to the moon by 2047.

The Ax-4 mission will also see the inclusion of Slawosz Uznanski and Tibor Kapu, both marking significant milestones for Poland and Hungary's human spaceflight history. Under the command of Peggy Whitson, the team will embark on a momentous 14-day expedition aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, adding a new chapter to the international cooperative pursuit of knowledge and exploration in outer space.

(With inputs from agencies.)