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The spacecraft was having trouble accepting the wind condition data upload which is useful in emergency situations
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others are all set to travel to the International Space Station on Wednesday. (News18)
It was a moment etched in history—the countdown echoed across the launchpad, cameras rolled, and families held their breath. But what most did not know was just how close the historic Axiom Mission-4 came to being called off, only hours before Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, was set to lift off into space.
The culprit? A delay in updating the Falcon 9 rocket’s flight computer with the latest wind data during the final countdown. The issue surfaced within the last launch window, but after swiftly correcting the data upload, the team resolved the problem, allowing the launch to proceed without aborting.
Explained in simpler terms, it means the spacecraft was having trouble accepting the wind condition data upload. This information is crucial for emergency situations, as it helps the spacecraft identify safe offshore splashdown zones if an abort is necessary after launch. Engineers worked quickly to resolve the issue and successfully upload the data before arming the Launch Escape System.
For a mission that had already weathered multiple delays—from May 29 to June 8, then June 10—this final snag triggered tense moments.
For Shubhanshu Shukla, the stakes were personal—and national. As the first Indian-origin astronaut to reach the International Space Station, and only the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984, this mission was a symbol of a nation’s growing space ambition.
Inside the Crew Dragon capsule, the crew remained calm and was briefed on the issue. Finally, with just one minute to spare, SpaceX informed the crew that the data had been uploaded successfully.
At noon (IST), Falcon 9 roared to life and pierced the Florida sky, carrying Shukla, veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, Poland’s Sławosz Uznański, and Hungarian-American Tibor Kapu toward the International Space Station.
Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. M…Read More
Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. M… Read More
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