Indian Air Force test pilot and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s International Space Station launch has been delayed by a day and will now take place on June 11 instead of the previously scheduled June 10.
The change was forced by unfavourable weather conditions.
Shukla also spoke to Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, Chief of Air Staff, via video conferencing on June 10.
“As Group Captain Shubahanshu Shukla prepares to embark on Axiom-4 space mission tomorrow, Chief of the Air Staff and all Air Warriors of IAF wish him and the entire crew of Axiom-4 all the best for a safe and successful trip to the International Space Station. This will add a new chapter to the Indian Space Odyssey. Touch the sky with glory!” the IAF said in an X post.
Shukla is part of the Axiom-4 mission, organised by Axiom Space, a US-based private space company, in collaboration with SpaceX and international space agencies.
Group Captain Shukla will be one of four crew members travelling to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The new launch date is set for June 11 at 8.00 a.m. Eastern Time, which is 5.30 p.m. Indian Standard Time.
This mission will make Group Captain Shukla one of the few Indians to visit the International Space Station, joining the ranks of Indian astronauts such as Rakesh Sharma. The mission has already seen several delays. Initially planned for May 29, it was rescheduled to June 8, then to June 10, and now finally to June 11, all due to ongoing weather concerns.
Dr V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, confirmed the latest change in schedule on social media, stating that the launch had been pushed back because of weather conditions.
This mission is seen as an important milestone for India’s presence in international space efforts. It also comes at a time when the country is working towards its own human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, which aims to send Indian astronauts into space using homegrown technology.
