Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's launch to Space Station pushed to June 10
The highly anticipated launch of Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed to June 10, as the crew continues their mandatory pre-flight quarantine.Originally scheduled for May 29 and then rescheduled to June 8, the mission—part of Axiom Space's Ax-4 programme—has now been pushed further due to operational adjustments and ongoing quarantine protocols.advertisementShukla, who will serve as the mission's pilot, is set to make history as the first Indian to visit the ISS and only the second Indian in space—following Rakesh Sharma's iconic 1984 mission. The Ax-4 crew includes mission commander Peggy Whitson, a veteran NASA astronaut, and specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, both embarking on their countries' first flights to the ISS.
The crew entered a two-week pre-launch quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 25. This 'health stabilisation' protocol is a standard safety measure for all human spaceflight missions, designed to ensure astronauts are free from infectious diseases that could jeopardize the mission or endanger the ISS crew.The astronauts are kept in a controlled environment, with strict hygiene measures, daily health monitoring, and limited contact with outsiders. This process is crucial, as the ISS is a closed system where even minor illnesses can have serious consequences.advertisement
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an hour ago
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