Latest news with #Mission4
Al Etihad
25-06-2025
- Science
- Al Etihad
India, Poland, Hungary make spaceflight comeback with ISS mission
25 June 2025 21:21 CAPE CANAVERAL (AFP)A US commercial mission carrying astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary blasted off to the International Space Station on Wednesday, marking the first time in decades that these nations have sent crew members to Mission 4, or Ax-4, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:31 am (0631 GMT), with a brand-new SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule riding atop a Falcon 9 vehicle is scheduled to dock with the orbital lab on Thursday at approximately 1100 GMT and remain there for up to 14 the spacecraft were pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India; mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary; and commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, a former NASA astronaut who now works for the company Axiom Space, which organises private spaceflights, among other last time India, Poland or Hungary sent people to space, their current crop of astronauts had not yet been born -- and back then, they were called cosmonauts, as they all flew on Soviet missions before the fall of the Iron became the first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma, an air force pilot who traveled to the Salyut 7 space station in 1984 as part of a Soviet-led initiative to help allied countries access space agency, ISRO, sees this flight as a key stepping stone toward its own maiden crewed mission, planned for 2027 under the Gaganyaan program, meaning "sky craft.""What a fantastic ride," Shukla said in Hindi after liftoff. "This isn't just the start of my journey to the International Space Station -- it's the beginning of India's human space program."Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the successful launch."He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. Wish him and other astronauts all the success!" he wrote on three countries are footing the bill for their astronauts. Hungary announced in 2022 it was paying $100 million for its seat, according to India and Poland have not disclosed how much they are spending."We've got this! Poland has reached for the stars," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X, alongside a video himself watching the launch on a screen at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw. "Who knows how many future Polish astronauts watched Slawosz's launch with me? Everyone was very excited and very proud," Tusk said in another post, which included a photo of him seated next to several children at the science centre.
Economic Times
25-06-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Axiom 4 Launch Live Streaming: India's Shubhanshu Shukla set to launch today: Check full schedule, take-off time and how to watch
Full schedule Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's space mission 12:30 a.m. (10:00 am)– Axiom Space and SpaceX launch coverage begins. 1:40 a.m. EDT (11:10 am IST)– NASA joins the launch coverage on NASA+. 2:31 a.m.(12:01 pm) – Launch 5 a.m. (2:30 pm)– Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, Axiom Space, and SpaceX channels. 7 a.m. (4:30 pm) – Targeted docking to the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module. Arrival coverage will continue through hatch opening and welcome remarks. Live Events India's first private astronaut launch to the ISS A mission years in the making Space diplomacy and global crew Mission Goals: Science, STEM, and space commerce (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel India's astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will take off for the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, 25 June, at exactly 12:01 PM IST. The launch will be streamed live by Axiom Space and SpaceX starting from 9:00 AM IST. NASA will join the broadcast from 10:10 AM IST. Viewers can follow the coverage on NASA+, as well as on Axiom Space and SpaceX's official spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 4:30 PM IST on Wednesday, 26 June. Docking coverage will begin at 2:30 PM IST and continue through hatch opening and welcome will end coverage following orbital insertion, which is approximately 15 minutes after launch. As it is a commercial launch, NASA will not provide a clean launch feed on its times are estimates and could be adjusted based on real-time operations after Mission 4 marks the first time an astronaut from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will visit the ISS under a commercial programme. Shubhanshu Shukla, a former Indian Air Force officer, will serve as the mission's will fly alongside mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and now Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space. Two others complete the four-member crew: Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, who will serve as mission launch will take place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and a new Dragon spacecraft. The mission has faced several delays due to poor weather, technical faults in the Falcon 9 rocket, and repairs to the Russian segment of the now reports a 90% chance of favourable weather conditions. 'All systems are looking good for Wednesday's launch of @Axiom_Space's Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station and weather is 90% favourable for liftoff,' the company posted on mission also reflects international cooperation. It was planned following a commitment made in 2020 between former US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is the first ISS visit by astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary under a commercial who goes by the callsign "Shuks", follows in the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma—India's first astronaut in space in 1984. But this time, the setting is more commercial than Cold Ax-4 crew will spend approximately two weeks on the ISS. During their stay, they will conduct five joint scientific investigations and two educational demonstrations focusing on science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).The astronauts will also carry out outreach and commercial activities designed to promote private space operations. NASA has partnered with Axiom Space as part of its broader effort to shift routine operations in low-Earth orbit to private and Russia's space agency Roscosmos gave the final approval for the launch following safety reviews. The two agencies recently addressed air pressure issues in the Zvezda module's transfer tunnel. They agreed to reduce the pressure in the module to 100 millimetres of mercury to ensure continued crew safety.'Nasa and Roscosmos have a long history of cooperation and collaboration on the International Space Station,' said Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro. 'This professional working relationship has allowed the agencies to arrive at a shared technical approach and now Axiom Mission 4 launch and docking will proceed.'Axiom-4 is the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. It forms part of NASA's long-term vision to build a sustainable commercial economy in low-Earth delegating transport and routine station activities to companies like Axiom and SpaceX, NASA aims to focus on deep-space exploration—beginning with the Moon through the Artemis programme and eventually ISS, meanwhile, remains an essential training and testing site. For Shukla and his team, it's a launchpad not just to orbit, but to a new chapter in global spaceflight.
The Star
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Japan space ambitions dealt another blow after ispace Inc moon landing fails
A room of more than 500 ispace employees, shareholders, sponsors and government officials abruptly grew silent during a public viewing event in the wee hours in Tokyo. -- PHOTO: EPA-EFE via The Straits Times/Asia News Network TOKYO (Bloomberg): Tokyo-based ispace Inc.'s second lunar lander attempt failed after it lost contact, a blow to Japan's burgeoning commercial space industry. Ispace's Resilience lander did not decelerate in time, and it was highly likely it made a hard landing on the moon, according to executives. The company's shares were set to fall by their daily limit in Tokyo Friday. The landing attempt, whose live stream was watched by more than 17,000 people, was heralded as a sign of a renaissance in Japan's space operations. Its failure casts a cloud on ispace's next mission, with executives saying the impact there is uncertain. Loss of contact just before the lander was expected to touch down brought founder and Chief Executive Officer Takeshi Hakamada close to tears. "But I don't think this is the time to cry,' he said at a news conference. "We need to resolve these issues and achieve results in the next Mission 3 and Mission 4.' The mission follows a failed attempt in 2023 when a programming error led to a crash of the spacecraft. If the attempt had succeeded, ispace would have been the first non-US company to park a spacecraft safely on the moon. Texas-based rivals Intuitive Machines Inc. and Firefly Aerospace Inc. have already done so, as countries race to explore the moon. Comparing ispace's results with those of its US rivals, "We are forced to acknowledge that we've fallen a step behind,' Chief Financial Officer Jumpei Nozaki said. The Japanese lander launched into space aboard one of Elon Musk-led SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets in January. The rocket also launched a lander from Firefly that touched down on the lunar surface in March. Resilience was expected to dispatch its rover, named Tenacious, which is equipped with a high-definition camera and a shovel to collect lunar regolith and transmit data back to the lander. Ispace signed a contract in 2020 with NASA to provide the US agency with regolith collected on the moon's surface. Aboard the lander are customer payloads with varying purposes including a commemorative plate from Bandai Namco Research Institute Inc. - an affiliate of the entertainment company behind game brands like Pac Man and Gundam - and experimental equipment such as a device to extract hydrogen from water. Receipt of as much as ¥238 million ($1.7 million) of the estimated $16 million payload may now be in jeopardy, the company said. Ispace plans to send its landers more frequently to the moon starting in 2027, with an aim to transport payloads two or three times a year, according to Hakamada. The plan is based on his belief that humans could start making a living on the moon as early as the 2040s. Hakamada said in an interview before the landing attempt that Japan will lose out on opportunities to seek fresh growth if it refuses to accept failures as a course of nature. "It'd be a huge loss for our society if failures only discourage bold attempts and trials,' he said. --With assistance from Mayumi Negishi, Gareth Allan and Kana Nishizawa. -- ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
India Today
03-06-2025
- Science
- India Today
With love from Lucknow: Meet Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla headed to space
In a landmark moment for India's space ambitions, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS).Slated for launch on 8 June 2025 as the pilot of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), Shukla's journey signifies India's reentry into human spaceflight after more than four decades. He will pilot the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and dock with the ISS on a 14 day mission. advertisementEarly Life and Career Born on 10 October 1985 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shubhanshu Shukla's fascination with the skies began at City Montessori School, his aspirations took flight following the 1999 Kargil War, inspiring him to pursue a career in the armed forces. At 16, he applied to the National Defence Academy (NDA) without informing his parents, a decision that set him on a path to the into the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a fighter pilot on 17 June 2006, Shukla has amassed over 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, and Hawk. Gp Capt. Shubhanshu Shukla during a medical test. (Photo: IAF) advertisementHis expertise led him to become a test pilot and a Fighter Combat Leader, roles that show his proficiency and dedication and the bravery to fly in systems never tested before, take them to the limit and make them Selection and TrainingShukla's journey to space was formalised in 2019 when he was selected for India's Gaganyaan underwent rigorous training at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, completing it in training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bangalore and a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from IISc Bangalore equipped him for the challenges Mission 4: A Collaborative EndeavourAxiom Mission 4 is a big collaboration between Indian space agency Isro, Nasa, and private company Axiom Space. The mission will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, the historic site of the Apollo 11 mission. Shukla will be part of a four-member crew, including veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson. During his 14-day stay aboard the ISS, Shukla will conduct five scientific experiments in partnership with NASA, focusing on areas such as space agriculture. He will also lead seven experiments designed by he is scheduled to interact with students across India through a live broadcast from the ISS, aiming to inspire the next generation of scientists and Life and LegacyadvertisementShukla is married to Dr. Kamna, a dentist, and they have a son. His family, including his parents and two elder sisters, have been pillars of support throughout his journey. As Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to embark on this historic mission, he carries with him the hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. His journey from the classrooms of Lucknow to the vast expanse of space exemplifies the spirit of exploration and the boundless possibilities that lie ahead for India's space Watch
