Shubhanshu Shukla's Journey to the ISS Delayed Again: What You Need to Know
Delay in Historic Space Mission
New Delhi: The much-anticipated flight of Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS) has faced another setback due to unfavorable weather conditions, as announced by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday.
Axiom Space, based in the US, is now set to launch Shukla and three other astronauts to the ISS from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on June 11 at 8 a.m. ET (5:30 p.m. IST).
Originally, the mission was slated for May 29, but it was postponed first to June 8, then to June 10.
Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, shared the update on social media, stating, “Due to weather conditions, the launch of the Axiom-4 mission for sending Indian Gaganyatri to the International Space Station is postponed from June 10, 2025, to June 11, 2025.”
SpaceX also confirmed that the Falcon 9 launch is now targeted for June 11, citing high winds in the ascent corridor as the reason for the delay. Additionally, a backup launch opportunity has been scheduled for June 12 at 7:37 a.m. ET.
If successful, Shukla will make history as the first Indian to reach the ISS and the second Indian in space, following Rakesh Sharma's journey to the Salyut 7 space station in 1984.
His family expressed immense pride in his achievements. Shukla's mother shared, “We are definitely feeling proud; our son has done something that brings pride in itself…” from their home in Lucknow.
Shukla will serve as the pilot for the mission alongside Commander Peggy Whitson from the US. The crew also includes mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Once aboard the ISS, IAF Group Captain Shukla is expected to conduct specialized experiments related to food and nutrition.
These experiments, developed through a collaboration between ISRO and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA, aim to advance space nutrition and self-sustaining life support systems crucial for future long-duration space missions.
The research will investigate the effects of microgravity and space radiation on edible microalgae, a nutrient-rich food source with high potential.
The study will focus on key growth parameters and analyze the changes in transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes of various algal species in space compared to their growth on Earth.