Axiom-4 Mission / Axiom-4 launch date postponed, ISRO told why this decision had to be taken

Axiom-4 Mission: A historic moment for Indian space lovers is just a few more days away. The Axiom-4 mission, which was to leave for the International Space Station (ISS) with Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, has been postponed once again. Now this much-awaited mission will launch on June 11, 2025 instead of June 10. ISRO has cited bad weather as the reason for this change.

ISRO gave a new date

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan informed on Monday evening that the launch has been postponed for 24 hours due to weather uncertainty in Florida. Now this mission will be launched on June 11 at 5:30 pm (Indian time) from Kennedy Space Center in the US through SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket.

This is not the first time that the date of the mission has been changed. Earlier this mission was to be launched on May 29, but due to technical and weather related reasons, it has been first postponed to June 10 and now to June 11.

Why is this mission special?

The Axiom-4 mission is historic for India in many ways. Shubhanshu Shukla, who was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, is playing the role of pilot in this mission. His call sign is "Shuks". He is the first Indian to go to space after 41 years. Earlier in 1984, Rakesh Sharma traveled to space in the Soviet Union's Soyuz spacecraft.

Symbol of international cooperation

The Axiom-4 mission is being operated by Axiom Space in joint collaboration with ISRO and NASA. The four astronauts involved in it are from different countries:

• Commander: Peggy Whitson (USA)
• Pilot: Shubhanshu Shukla (India)
• Mission Specialist: Tigor Kapu (Hungary)
• Mission Specialist: Slavosh Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland)
• This mission will last for 14 days with the aim of promoting science, research and international cooperation.

Symbolic return for India

Axiom-4 is not just a space mission, but it also marks a symbolic return of India to the human space program. This makes it clear that India is now not only a participant in the space race of developed countries, but has also become an influential player.

Delay did not affect the excitement

Although the delay in the mission has dampened the excitement a bit, the role of weather is important for a safe and successful launch. Indian citizens are very excited about this mission and are eagerly waiting for the historic flight on the evening of June 11.