Shubhanshu Shukla Set to Script History on June 8

Shubhanshu Shukla is preparing to embark on his first journey to space aboard Axiom Space's fourth commercial mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

- MPOST BUREAU

Scheduled for launch on June 8, the mission will lift off aboard SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with liftoff expected no earlier than 6:41 pm IST.

Shukla, selected as the pilot for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), will become only the second Indian to fly into space, following Rakesh Sharma's 1984 flight on the Russian Soyuz mission.

Alongside Shukla, the Ax-4 crew includes Polish national Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungary's Tibor Kapu. This mission marks the first time astronauts from Poland and Hungary will travel to the ISS. The flight is also only the second government-supported human space-flight from either country in over 40 years.