Updated June 10, 2025 at 3:08 PM EDT
A crew of four is set to launch to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday morning atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in the company's Dragon spacecraft.
The launch of Axiom-4, or Ax-4, is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. EST and is an instantaneous launch window, meaning the rocket must launch at that exact time to catch up to the station and dock some 28 hours later. A weather forecast by the U.S. Space Force shows an 85% change of favorable weather for launch.
An attempt to launch the mission Tuesday was called off due to weather.
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The mission is brokered by the Houston, Texas-based commercial space company Axiom Space. The company works with SpaceX for rides to the station and coordinates with NASA for the usage of the International Space Station for its astronauts. The European Space Agency and governments of the participating astronauts also contributed to the mission.
Axiom's Peggy Whitson is serving as Ax-4 commander. Whitson, a retired NASA astronaut, has set numerous spaceflight records as an astronaut, including the most cumulative time in space by a U.S. astronaut. This mission will add to that standing record.
Shubhanshu Shukla of India will serve as pilot. Poland's Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Hungary's Tibor Kapu will serve as mission specialists. The mission marks the return to human spaceflight for those countries – their first government-sponsored flights in more than 40 years, according to Axiom.
"Every crew brings something new to the table. I've been incredibly impressed by the dedication and the work ethic and the passion of this team," said Whitson. "It's been a joy to train alongside them, and I'm looking forward to seeing them in microgravity. It's going to be fun."
Once launched, it will take the crew about 28 hours to catch up with and dock to the International Space Station. Whitson will oversee the nearly 60 experiments planned for the crew during their 14-day stay aboard the station.
"We'll be conducting research that spans biology, material and physical sciences as well as technology demonstrations," said Whitson. "We'll also be engaging with students around the world, sharing our experience and inspiring the next generation of explorers."
The crew is making the trip in a brand new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, designed to transport civil and commercial astronauts to the International Space Station and other places in low-Earth orbit. The Dragon will remain docked at the station, standing ready to return the crew after their mission – splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
Dragon is the only U.S. spacecraft certified by NASA to take astronauts to the space station. During a public feud last week with President Donald Trump, SpaceX founder Elon Musk threatened to decommission the Dragon spacecraft in a now-deleted post on X. Musk walked back on that statement shortly after posting.
The agency's other option for astronaut transports – Boeing's Starliner capsule – faced significant delays and technical issues on a test flight last year. NASA made the decision to return that crew in a SpaceX Dragon capsule and return Starliner without a crew as it investigates the vehicle's issues.
"NASA is assessing the earliest potential for a Starliner flight to the International Space Station in early 2026, pending system certification and resolution of Starliner's technical issues," said NASA in a statement last week. "The agency is still evaluating whether Starliner's next flight will be in a crew or cargo configuration."
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