Florida [US], June 24: NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are targeting 2:31 a.m. EDT (Noon IST) on Wednesday, June 25, for the launch of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch will take place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with the crew traveling aboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched by a Falcon 9 rocket. Docking is expected around 7 a.m. IST on Thursday, June 26.

A prior launch date of June 22 was postponed to allow for further evaluation of the ISS systems following recent repairs in the Zvezda module’s aft segment. NASA is analyzing data to ensure the station is ready to accommodate the new crew. The mission has global significance, with participation from India, Poland, and Hungary—each conducting their first government-backed spaceflight in over 40 years. The four-person crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson (former NASA astronaut), Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from ISRO (India), and Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).

The Ax-4 mission marks the first time these three nations will have astronauts aboard the ISS and represents Axiom Space’s effort to expand access to low-Earth orbit and support global space programs. It is also the second commercial mission composed of government and ESA-sponsored astronauts.

The mission will conduct nearly 60 scientific experiments involving 31 countries, making it Axiom’s most research-intensive mission to date. Key research areas include human health, Earth science, life sciences, and material science—highlighting the collaborative international effort and scientific value of space exploration.