(Image source from: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GuXtOUwXYAAiFZc.jpg)
On Thursday evening, the Crew Dragon capsule arrived at the International Space Station, carrying four astronauts including India's Shubhanshu Shukla as part of the Axiom-4 mission. This marked the end of a 28-hour journey from Florida's Kennedy Space Center to a location 424 kilometers above the northern Atlantic Ocean.
Docking refers to the process where a spacecraft connects to the space station. Prior to this, however, the spacecraft must perform a rendezvous with the station, ensuring both are in alignment within the same orbital plane and positioned relatively close to each other. This preparation involves a complex series of maneuvers that require precise alignment of both the location and velocity vectors to establish a safe and secure connection for the transfer of astronauts and cargo.
At 4:03 PM Indian time, Mission Control announced a 'soft capture,' which is a connection that provides flexibility between the spacecraft, called Grace, and the station, allowing for the dissipation of kinetic energy generated during the initial contact. Shortly thereafter, a 'hard capture,' indicating a more solid and secure connection, was confirmed. NASA reported that the docking sequence was completed at 4:15 PM Indian time. Shukla and his fellow astronauts—Peggy Whitson from the US, Slawoz Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary—will not join the seven crew members already aboard the ISS right away. Sufficient time is necessary for the connection to stabilize and for systems to verify that there are no breaches in the seal or issues with the link that might endanger the astronauts.
At 8:14am ET on Thursday, the hatch opened between the @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the International Space Station and the Ax-4 crew from @Axiom_Space crew entered. More... https://t.co/3pFFP6VbPO pic.twitter.com/k6GWzj0Oav
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) June 26, 2025
The hatch that connects the ISS and the Dragon capsule is scheduled to open at 6:10 PM Indian time. The Axiom-4 mission commenced at 12:01 PM on Wednesday when the Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX launched from Launch Complex 39A, the very site from which Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 were launched. The launch faced six delays and was nearly postponed again due to a software issue affecting weather data uploads. Fortunately, this was resolved just minutes before takeoff, and shortly after 12:01 PM Indian time, the Falcon 9's Merlin engines ignited powerfully. Shukla and his fellow astronauts have an intense two weeks ahead, as they will be conducting 60 experiments, seven of which are proposed by India. This includes a study on 'water bears,' tiny organisms, to explore how living beings adapt to microgravity, in addition to focusing on bio-manufacturing and bio-astronautics during their time in space.
Earlier today, while the Dragon capsule raced toward the International Space Station, Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the pilot of the mission, described the experience of the launch as ‘magical’ and shared thoughts on his journey. "I am ecstatic to share this moment with my fellow astronauts... what an incredible experience it has been. Honestly, after enduring 30 days of quarantine due to various launch postponements, when I finally found myself on the launchpad, all I could think was... 'Let’s just get going!'. When it finally took off, it was beyond anything I had imagined. You feel the force pushing you back into your seat, and then, just like that, you’re enveloped in silence. You find yourself floating in the void... and it truly is magical," he remarked. Shukla also acknowledged the countless engineers and scientists globally who contributed to making this mission a reality, referring to it as a ‘collective success’. "I am genuinely grateful for the hard work of everyone who helped make this journey successful. This achievement is one that belongs to us all," he added.
