Shubhanshu Shukla's Space Launch Was Saved Just A Minute Before Liftoff. Here's How
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The spacecraft was having trouble accepting the wind condition data upload which is useful in emergency situations
It was a moment etched in history—the countdown echoed across the launchpad, cameras rolled, and families held their breath. But what most did not know was just how close the historic Axiom Mission-4 came to being called off, only hours before Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, was set to lift off into space.
The culprit? A delay in updating the Falcon 9 rocket's flight computer with the latest wind data during the final countdown. The issue surfaced within the last launch window, but after swiftly correcting the data upload, the team resolved the problem, allowing the launch to proceed without aborting.
Explained in simpler terms, it means the spacecraft was having trouble accepting the wind condition data upload. This information is crucial for emergency situations, as it helps the spacecraft identify safe offshore splashdown zones if an abort is necessary after launch. Engineers worked quickly to resolve the issue and successfully upload the data before arming the Launch Escape System.
For a mission that had already weathered multiple delays—from May 29 to June 8, then June 10—this final snag triggered tense moments.
For Shubhanshu Shukla, the stakes were personal—and national. As the first Indian-origin astronaut to reach the International Space Station, and only the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984, this mission was a symbol of a nation's growing space ambition.
At noon (IST), Falcon 9 roared to life and pierced the Florida sky, carrying Shukla, veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, Poland's Sławosz Uznański, and Hungarian-American Tibor Kapu toward the International Space Station.
First Published:
June 25, 2025, 13:38 IST
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