India’s Historic Leap: Shubhanshu Shukla To Become 1st Indian on ISS in Multinational Space Mission

History was made today as astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary embarked on their first-ever mission to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The mission, dubbed Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is expected to dock with the ISS after a 28-hour journey.

A little bit more of humanity is in space today. 🇺🇸🇮🇳🇵🇱🇭🇺

The four-member crew of #Ax4 includes astronauts from @ESA and @ISRO. @Axiom_Space's fourth private astronaut mission is set to arrive at the @Space_Station on Thursday, June 26: https://t.co/fnGkb4d64E pic.twitter.com/liUkioCr25

— NASA (@NASA) June 25, 2025

The four-member crew includes:

• Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – an Indian Air Force pilot and the first Indian to visit the ISS.
• Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) – a physicist and ESA project astronaut.
• Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – a mechanical engineer representing Hungary’s HUNOR program.
• Peggy Whitson (USA) – a veteran astronaut and mission commander, holding the U.S. record for most days in space.

This privately funded mission, organized by Axiom Space, marks a return to human spaceflight for all three nations after more than four decades. Over the next 14 days, the crew will conduct around 60 scientific experiments spanning microgravity research, space agriculture, and biomedical studies.

And in a charming cultural touch, they’ve brought along national delicacies—Indian curry, Hungarian paprika paste, and Polish pierogies—to share aboard the ISS.

Launch Details:

• Launch Time & Vehicle: 12:01 PM IST on June 25 from Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft.
• Docking Schedule: Expected at 4:30 PM IST on June 26.

Crew Highlights:

• Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – Pilot, first Indian to visit the ISS.
• Peggy Whitson (USA) – Commander, record-holder for most days in space by an American.
• Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) – ESA astronaut and physicist.
• Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – Engineer from Hungary’s HUNOR program.

Scientific Goals:

• 60 experiments across 31 countries.
• Research in space agriculture, gut microbiota, microgravity physics.
• India-specific studies on screen use, muscle atrophy, and neurofeedback.

Symbolism & Facts:

• First government-sponsored human spaceflight in over four decades for India, Poland, and Hungary.
• Fulfills diplomatic commitments for enhanced Indo.
• Mission overcame six delays due to weather and a liquid oxygen leak.

After liftoff, #Ax4 Commander @AstroPeggy revealed the name of the new @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft headed to the @Space_Station. Meet Grace! https://t.co/wb27kTMwHh pic.twitter.com/7QnyFOfRu7

— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) June 25, 2025

ISRO and ESA Sign Agreement to Collaborate on Astronaut Training, Research Experiments

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a significant agreement to enhance cooperation in human spaceflight.

This collaboration focuses on astronaut training, mission implementation, and research experiments.

Key highlights of the agreement include:

1. Astronaut Training: Joint training programs for astronauts, including participation in ESA's human physiological studies and technology demonstration experiments.

2. Mission Implementation: Collaboration on the upcoming Axiom-4 mission, where an ISRO astronaut and an ESA astronaut will be part of the crew.

3. Research Experiments: Development and integration of experiments designed by Indian Principal Investigators aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This means that Indian astronauts can use ESA facilities ISS, cooperation on human and biomedical research experiment implementation as well as joint education and outreach activities.

4. Educational Outreach: Joint initiatives to promote space science and technology education.

5. Interoperability: Enhancing interoperability between human spaceflight platforms, including India's upcoming Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).

Dr. S Somanath in his remarks highlighted that ISRO has defined a roadmap for human space flight activities and the recent approval of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) present an opportunity to develop interoperability between human spaceflight platforms. ESA Director General, Dr. Aschbacher, thanked Dr. Somanath for speaking at ESA Council and remarked that the agreement provides a strong basis of cooperation between the two agencies.

The leadership of both ISRO and ESA expressed satisfaction with the progress of joint activities for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission and underlined the need for continuing cooperative activities in the area of human spaceflight in future.

This partnership aims to boost India's human spaceflight capabilities and foster global collaboration in space exploration.

To recall, in late last month ISRO has also signed an Implementing Arrangement (IA) with Australian Space Agency (ASA) to strengthen cooperation in space activities. This agreement is focused on crew and crew module recovery for ISRO's Gaganyaan missions.