Florida [US], June 26 (ANI): The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying four Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew members including Mission Pilot Group Captain Shbhansu Shukla, is orbiting Earth and on its way to the International Space Station after launching from Kennedy Space Centre at noon on Indian Standard Time (IST) Wednesday .

Dragon is also carrying Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu and will dock to the Harmony module's space-facing port at 4:30 pm IST today.

NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers will be on duty at the beginning of their shift, monitoring Dragon during its automated approach and rendezvous manoeuvres. After docking, the Ax-4 astronauts will greet the seven Expedition 73 crewmates, call down to Earth for welcoming remarks, then participate in a safety briefing with the station residents.

Meanwhile, McClain and Ayers, along with the rest of the station crew, worked a normal shift on Wednesday, keeping up with microgravity research and lab maintenance.

For Group Captain Shukla, this will be an opportunity to emulate fellow Indian Air Force Officer Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. Sharma spent seven days in space on board the Salyut 7 space station.

In his remarks from onboard the Dragon spacecraft, Shukla said, 'Namaskar, my dear countrymen, what a ride. We are back in the space once again after 41 years. It's an amazing ride. We are revolving around the Earth at a speed of 7.5 kilometres per second. The Tiranga embossed on my shoulders tells me I am with you all. This journey of mine is not a beginning to the International Space Station (ISS) but to India's Human Space Programme. I want all of you to be part of this journey. Your chest, too, should swell with pride. You all also show excitement. Together, let's initiate India's Human Space Programme. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!'

Once docked, the astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission that will include science, outreach, and commercial activities.

This will be the most research and science-related activities conducted on an Axiom Space mission aboard the International Space Station.

NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) are collaborating to launch several scientific investigations. These studies include examining muscle regeneration, growth of sprouts and edible microalgae, survival of tiny aquatic organisms, and human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity. The first private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. (ANI)