Live Coverage of Axiom Mission 4’s Departure from the ISS
NASA has announced that it will provide live coverage of the undocking and departure of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) private astronaut mission from the International Space Station (ISS). The event is scheduled to take place at approximately 7:05 am EDT (4:30 PM IST) on Monday, July 14. This marks the end of a 17-day stay aboard the ISS for the four-member crew, who will return to Earth in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the ISS, is part of the Ax-4 crew. Alongside him are veteran NASA astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson, European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu. The crew will conclude their mission aboard the Dragon spacecraft, which will undock from the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
Live Coverage Details
The live coverage will begin with the hatch closing at 4:30 am EDT (2:00 PM IST), followed by the crew entering the spacecraft at 4:55 am EDT (2:25 PM IST) and the hatch closing. Undocking coverage will start at 6:45 am EDT (4:15 PM IST) on Axiom Space and SpaceX channels, with the actual undocking occurring at 7:05 am EDT (4:30 PM IST).
NASA’s coverage will end approximately 30 minutes after the undocking. However, the coverage will continue via Axiom Space and SpaceX through axiom.space/live and SpaceX’s website. These platforms will show the Dragon spacecraft re-entering Earth’s atmosphere and its subsequent splashdown off the coast of California.
Scientific Research Conducted During the Mission
Over the past 17 days, the Ax-4 crew has been deeply involved in scientific research aboard the ISS. On flight day 17, Group Captain Shukla conducted centrifugation and freezing of microalgae samples to study their potential in supporting life on long-duration missions. The crew also continued the Voyager Displays study, which investigates eye movement and coordination in microgravity, and gathered data for the Voice in Space project, analyzing vocal performance changes in space.
Additionally, they participated in a cognitive study called the Acquired Equivalence Test, which examined how astronauts learn and adjust to life in microgravity. The group concluded the day by collecting samples for more human health research, including Human Gut Microbiota, Immune Multiomics, Muscular Stimulation, and Microbiome Profiling.
These studies aim to expand our understanding of how the human body reacts to living in space, ensuring astronaut health on future long-duration missions.
Mission Overview
Axiom Mission 4 was launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS on June 26 at 4:05 pm IST, ahead of schedule, connecting to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
This mission represents a significant step forward in private space exploration, highlighting the collaboration between international space agencies and commercial space companies like Axiom Space and SpaceX. As the Ax-4 crew prepares for their return to Earth, the knowledge gained from their research will contribute to future space missions and the broader goal of sustainable human presence in space.
