New Delhi, June 25: The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), a landmark private spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS), will launch on Wednesday from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

Axiom Space, in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX, organised the mission, which features a diverse international crew and marks a major step forward in commercial and global space exploration.

Scheduled to lift off at 2:31 a.m. EDT (12:01 p.m. IST) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the mission will transport four astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, propelled into orbit by a Falcon 9 rocket. Docking with the ISS is expected at around 7:00 a.m. EDT (4:30 p.m. IST) on Thursday, June 26.

"All systems are looking good for Wednesday’s launch of @Axiom_Space’s Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station and weather is 90 per cent favorable for liftoff. Webcast starts at 12:30 a.m." SpaceX posted on X ahead of the launch.

Among the crew is Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, representing ISRO, who will serve as the mission’s pilot. He is joined by veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ESA astronaut Sławosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. For India, Hungary, and Poland, this mission signifies a return to human spaceflight after a long hiatus.

Earlier on Tuesday NASA confirmed the final schedule via its official X handle, "With @Axiom_Spaceand @SpaceX, we're now targeting Wednesday, June 25, to launch #Ax4 to the @Space_Station. The four-member crew, including astronauts from @ESA and @ISRO, is scheduled to lift off at 2:31am ET (0631 UTC)."

Axiom-4 has experienced multiple delays leading up to Wednesday's launch. Initial postponements were due to unfavourable weather conditions, followed by technical issues, including detected leaks in the Falcon 9 rocket. After a thorough review and resolution of the problems, the launch was cleared.

This is the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS under Axiom Space’s expanding program, signalling growing international interest in commercial space missions and partnerships.

--IANS

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