Staff Writer
NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space have postponed the planned launch of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather conditions in the rocket’s ascent corridor. The launch, originally scheduled for Tuesday, June 10, is now targeted for no earlier than 8 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 11.
The mission will launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the crew flying aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Once in orbit, the Dragon capsule is expected to dock with the ISS around 12:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 12.
Axiom Mission 4 marks the fourth private astronaut flight organized by Axiom Space in partnership with NASA and SpaceX. The mission will last approximately 14 days, during which the crew will carry out nearly 60 scientific experiments in microgravity, representing research from organizations worldwide.
Former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space Director of Human Spaceflight Peggy Whitson will command the Ax-4 mission. The pilot will be Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), joined by mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, representing the European Space Agency (ESA), and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
Ax-4 is particularly historic as it marks the first time in more than 40 years that astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary are participating in a government-sponsored human spaceflight. It is also the first time astronauts from these nations will visit the International Space Station.
The crew will launch aboard a newly built SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. After separation from the Falcon 9 rocket, the capsule will independently navigate to the ISS.
Live coverage of the launch will be available from multiple sources. SpaceX will begin its webcast approximately two hours before liftoff on its official website and social media platform X. NASA will join the broadcast beginning at 7:05 a.m. EDT via its NASA+ streaming service.
Axiom Space’s private astronaut missions are part of a broader effort to build a commercial space station module that will eventually attach to the ISS. This initiative supports NASA’s long-term goal of transitioning low-Earth orbit operations to commercial partners ahead of the ISS’s planned retirement in 2030. Axiom’s first mission launched in 2022, with Ax-3 most recently flying in January 2024.
For updates and live stream links, visit NASA.gov and SpaceX.com
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