Axiom-4 mission: Inside Shubhanshu Shukla's 14-day stay on ISS; what experiments, research await

India’s Shubhanshu Shukla is set to make history as part of Axiom Space ’s fourth private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for launch no earlier than May 2025. The 14-day Ax-4 mission, which also includes crew members from the US, Poland, and Hungary, will be the most science-intensive mission ever conducted by Axiom, with over 60 research experiments representing 31 countries.

For Shukla, serving as mission pilot, the trip is more than symbolic. Representing India alongside ISRO , he will help lead scientific investigations ranging from crop viability in microgravity to biological resilience in extreme environments. This international collaboration not only elevates India’s profile in space research but also serves as a precursor to the country's upcoming manned Gaganyaan mission.

Key Indian experiments aboard the ISS
India’s contribution to the Ax-4 mission, led by ISRO in collaboration with NASA and ESA, focuses on advancing microgravity research aboard the ISS. The goal is to better understand how living systems behave in space and to develop technologies crucial for future long-duration missions.

The experiments will explore several key areas:

• Digital behaviour: How astronauts use screens, track eye movements, and handle stress in zero gravity.
• Crop and seed growth: Six seed varieties and sprouting behaviour will be studied to assess genetic and nutritional changes.
• Microbial life: Research on cyanobacteria and microalgae will investigate their viability for use in life support and food systems.
• Muscle health: A study on muscle degeneration will identify biological pathways and potential countermeasures.
• Tardigrades: These resilient organisms will be tested for survival and gene activity in space.

Broader global collaboration
This Axiom mission is unique in its scope, with research also being contributed by ESA (Europe), NASA, and Hungary’s HUNOR programme. Polish experiments will investigate neurofeedback, gut microbiome changes, and wearable health tech, while Hungary will explore cognition, motor skills, and even fruit fly resilience.

Each partner nation is using the ISS as a laboratory to test innovations in health, materials science, and environmental sustainability—building the groundwork for future planetary missions and permanent off-world infrastructure like the upcoming Axiom Station.

Crew prepares for launch
The Axiom-4 mission is scheduled to launch at 2:31 a.m. EDT (12 noon IST) on Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Piloted by India’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the crew will travel to the International Space Station aboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launched on a Falcon 9 rocket. Docking is expected around 7 a.m. EDT (4 p.m. IST) on Thursday.

Commanding the four-member crew is former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. The mission specialists include ESA project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. The crew has been in quarantine in Florida ahead of liftoff.

This mission is historic for India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's return to government-sponsored human spaceflight after more than 40 years. It also represents the first time all three will participate in a mission aboard the ISS.

For Group Captain Shukla, this is a milestone moment, as he follows in the footsteps of Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 in 1984.

“All systems are looking good for Wednesday's launch of Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station, and weather is 90 per cent favourable for liftoff,” SpaceX confirmed in a post on X.

This mission strengthens India's growing space ambitions, as it lays the foundation for ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission in 2027, and a planned Indian landing on the Moon by 2040.