SpaceX to Launch Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4)

Here’s a breakdown of the upcoming Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) and how you can watch the launch and mission live:

🔬 Mission Goals:

• The Ax-4 crew will conduct around 60 scientific experiments in microgravity aboard the ISS.
• The mission also aims to support Axiom Space’s goal of creating a commercial space station that will attach to the ISS before its planned 2030 retirement.

🚀 Mission Timeline:

1. Launch: SpaceX Falcon 9 will lift off, carrying the Dragon spacecraft with the Ax-4 crew onboard.
   • Expected liftoff time: 8:22 a.m. ET
2. Docking at the ISS:
   • The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS on Wednesday, June 11, around 12:30 p.m. ET.
   • Live coverage will continue from 10:30 a.m. ET as the Dragon approaches the space station.

🚀 Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) Launch Details

• Launch Date: Tuesday, June 10, as early as 8:22 a.m. ET
• Launch Site: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A, Florida
• Spacecraft: SpaceX Dragon (carried by a Falcon 9 rocket)
• Destination: International Space Station (ISS)
• Mission Duration: The astronauts will spend about 14 days on the ISS, conducting 60 scientific experiments.

🌎 How to Watch the Launch Livestream

Livestream Coverage:

• SpaceX: Starting two hours before launch, you can watch via SpaceX’s website or their social media platforms on X (formerly Twitter).
• NASA: Coverage begins at 7:25 a.m. ET on NASA+, NASA’s streaming service.

🧑‍🚀 Ax-4 Crew Members:

1. Commander: Peggy Whitson (USA)
   • Former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight
   • Previously commanded Ax-2 mission
2. Pilot: Shubhanshu Shukla (India)
   • Astronaut from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
3. Mission Specialist: Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland)
   • Scientist/engineer from the European Space Agency’s reserve astronaut class
4. Mission Specialist: Tibor Kapu (Hungary)
   • Mechanical engineer

🎥 Docking at the ISS:

• Live Coverage Resumes: Around 10:30 a.m. ET, Wednesday, June 11.
• The Dragon will dock with the ISS, and after docking, hatches will open, allowing the crew to enter the station.