Latest news with #AxiomSpaceInc
NDTV
a day ago
- Science
- NDTV
IAF Pilot's Space Mission To Continue Despite Musk-Trump Fight: Sources
New Delhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's mission to the International Space Station (ISS) next week will not be affected by the ongoing feud between US President Donald Trump and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, sources said on Thursday. The sources at Axiom Space Inc said Axiom Mission 4 will take off at 5.52pm (India time) on June 10, as decided earlier, despite Mr Musk's initial decision to "decommission" his spacecraft amid escalating tensions with the US President. He withdrew the announcement later. If all goes well, Mr Shukla will be the first Indian to reach the ISS. The private astronaut mission is jointly being carried out by Axiom Space Inc, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It will launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket, from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. India has paid more than $60 million for the mission. Thirty-nine-year-year-old Shukla will be accompanied by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and mission commander, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Once docked, the astronauts are scheduled to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprising science, outreach and commercial activities. Group Captain Shukla's travel to space comes four decades after Rakesh Sharma's iconic spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. He will serve as the Mission Pilot. A decorated test pilot with the IAF, Mr Shukla was shortlisted under ISRO's Human Spaceflight Program (HSP) and is among the top contenders for the Gaganyaan mission, India's first indigenous crewed orbital flight. His journey aboard the Axiom Mission 4 is expected to provide critical hands-on experience in spaceflight operations, launch protocols, microgravity adaptation, and emergency preparedness - all essential for India's crewed space ambitions. The Group Captain will conduct seven experiments in the fields of agriculture, food and human biology when he travels to the ISS next month. Early on Friday, Mr Musk announced the immediate "decommissioning" of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, only to backtrack a few hours later, saying he is with "Team America". The immediate trigger behind the withdrawn announcement was the President's threat to terminate government contracts with the Tesla CEO, amid a series of spiraling disagreements rooted in the latter's criticism of the administration's tax-cut and spending legislation that erupted last week. "In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately," Mr Musk posted on X. In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 However, after an X user slammed the most powerful Trump and world's richest Musk for their "shameful" fight and asked them to "take a step back for a couple of days", the Tesla CEO said: "Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon". Subsequently, Mr Musk reshared a photo of the US flag against the backdrop of the Dragon on X, saying "Team America".
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mission with next Indian in space pushed to June 10
The groundbreaking space mission that will make Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, only the second Indian to go to space, has been postponed to June 10, Axiom Space Inc announced on Tuesday—the second delay for the historic 14-day flight. Axiom Space Inc announced that the Ax-4 mission, originally scheduled for May 29 and later moved to June 8, will now lift off at 8:22am EST aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida for the International Space Station. The 39-year-old test pilot will join three international crew members on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, marking India's return to human spaceflight after a 40-year hiatus since Rakesh Sharma's pioneering mission in 1984. 'Since we both belong to the Indian Air Force and were also test pilots, he understands the journey and background I come from,' Shukla said, speaking of Sharma as his mentor during a virtual press conference with the crew. 'He navigated the same path in 1984 and guided me with sound advice which I am carrying along.' Shukla, who grew up reading about Sharma in textbooks, initially channeled his space fascination into flying fighter jets before India had a human spaceflight programme. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Gaganyaan mission in 2018—India's first indigenous crewed orbital flight—Shukla immediately applied for Indian Space Research Organisation's (Isro) Human Spaceflight Programme and remains among the top contenders, he said. The mission carries deep personal significance for Shukla, who will take a surprise gift to space for Sharma without revealing details. 'I will personally hand it over to him once I am back,' he said. Shukla said for himself, he will carry his favourite mango nectar, moong halwa and carrot halwa. Leading the Ax-4 crew is Peggy Whitson, a former Nasa astronaut commanding her second commercial human spaceflight mission. The team includes Sławosz Uznański, an ESA project astronaut who becomes the second Polish astronaut since 1978, and Tibor Kapu, Hungary's second national astronaut since 1980. The mission represents a significant milestone for all three nations, each returning to human spaceflight after more than four decades and visiting the ISS for the first time. Adding a touch of whimsy, the crew unveiled a fifth member—a swan named Joy serving as a Zero G indicator. Whitson explained the choice symbolised wisdom in India, resilience in Poland, and grace in Hungary. Shukla will conduct seven experiments during the mission, studying microgravity's impact on edible microalgae to analysing human interaction with electronic displays in space. From the ISS, Shukla will interact with students, academia, and space industry members, embodying what he describes as 'carrying the hopes and dreams of a billion hearts.' The crew entered a two-week quarantine phase in Florida on May 26 to ensure optimal health.
