As confirmed by Axiom Space, the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) was rescheduled to June 22, 2025, after NASA conducted an assessment of continued work and maintenance in the Russian portion of the International Space Station (ISS). The Ax-4 mission will have a crew consisting of astronauts from India, Poland, Hungary, and the United States, and will be the fourth private crewed mission to the ISS. This is an important achievement for India in the domain of commercial human spaceflight.
Axiom Space and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) indicated that the Ax-4 mission was delayed to June 22 to ensure safety of the crew and operational ability of the crew and the crew’s ability to perform upon completion of repairing the Zvezda module to the ISS. The Ax-4 mission is an important milestone for India’s participation in commercial human spaceflight, as astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is piloting an international crew on board.
Mission Objectives
• Conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations on board the ISS.
• Develop multi-national cooperation in private space missions.
• Promote commercial human spaceflight with cross-national representation of crew.
• Increase India’s presence in low Earth orbit (LEO) missions.
Importance
• Important milestone for India’s integration into commercial space programs.
• Serves to increase scientific cooperation among NASA, ISRO and Europe.
• Improves India’s options on Gaganyaan and other future LEO missions.
• Increases public-private partnerships in space exploration.
Mission Overview
- Mission Name: Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4)
- New Launch Date: June 22, 2025
- Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9
- Spacecraft: Dragon capsule
- Launch Site: Likely Kennedy Space Center, Florida
- Destination: International Space Station (ISS)
Crew Members
- Peggy Whitson (USA) – Mission Commander (Veteran NASA astronaut)
- Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – Pilot (ISRO-affiliated, debut mission)
- Sławosz Uznański (Poland) – Mission Specialist
- Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – Mission Specialist
