Shubhanshu Shukla's ride to space ready on the launch pad. See pics
The much-anticipated space mission featuring Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is now on the final countdown. The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Dragon spacecraft for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), has been rolled out to the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch is targeted for June 10, 2025, at 8:22 am, with a backup window available on Wednesday, June 11.advertisementThis mission marks a milestone as it will be the first flight for this particular Dragon spacecraft. The Falcon 9's first-stage booster, making its second flight after previously supporting a Starlink launch, will attempt a precision landing at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after stage separation.
The towering Falcon 9 stands vertical at Launch Complex 39A, ready to carry the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The pre-dawn rollout marks the final leg before liftoff for the Ax-4 mission.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, one of four international crew members on board, will be piloting the spacecraft. Trained extensively by SpaceX and Axiom Space, Shukla will supervise launch and docking operations of the fully autonomous vehicle.
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The Dragon spacecraft is seen securely integrated atop Falcon 9.The 14-day mission to the International Space Station will see the crew conduct over 60 scientific experiments across areas such as human research, Earth observation, and life and material sciences.
Final preparations are underway at the pad as Falcon 9 and Dragon await the launch sequence. The spacecraft will soon embark on its journey.A live webcast of the mission will begin two hours prior to liftoff.Must Watch
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