Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crewmates part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station are headed into quarantine, the US-based private space firm announced on Sunday.
The Axiom-4 mission -- a collaborative effort of Axiom Space, NASA, European Space Agency (ESA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) -- is scheduled for lift-off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida onboard a Dragon spacecraft not earlier than June 8 at 6:41 pm IST.
The Axiom-4 mission will be the first time an Indian astronaut will visit the International Space Station (ISS).
During the 14-day mission docked to the orbiting laboratory, the astronauts will conduct global outreach activities, microgravity research and technology demonstrations.
A ceremonial send-off was organised at Axiom Space for the crew ahead of their launch onboard SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket.
"The crew is on their way to quarantine. Before they went, Axiom Space employees came together to celebrate. The crew send-off is a tradition that pays tribute to the dedication and tireless efforts of the staff prior to the crew embarking on their mission," Axiom Space said in a post on X.
Shukla, one of the four astronaut-designates for Gaganyaan, will be the pilot on Ax-4 with former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space Peggy Whitson as commander of the commercial mission.
"I am sure this mission will be a success," said Shukla at the send-off event.
ISRO has paid Rs 550 crore for Shukla to be part of this mission.
Experience gained from this mission is expected to benefit ISRO's Gaganyaan project.
Astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary are also part of the Ax-4 mission.
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