Why in the news
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian on a commercial human mission to the ISS through Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).
Mission details
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Rocket | SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| Capsule | Crew Dragon Grace (C213); first flight; fifth and final Crew Dragon |
| Liftoff | 25 June 2025, Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, after delays |
Prime crew
| Role | Astronaut | Country |
|---|
| Commander | Peggy Whitson | United States |
| Pilot | Shubhanshu Shukla | India (ISRO) |
| Specialist | Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski | Poland |
| Specialist | Tibor Kapu | Hungary |
Firsts
- India, Poland and Hungary: first government-sponsored flights in over 40 years, second human spaceflight each after the Soviet Interkosmos era.
- Their astronauts’ first ISS visit.
Objectives
- Global cooperation, science and outreach experiments, system validation, public-private partnerships.
Exam angle
- Pilot: Shukla; commander: Whitson.