The Axiom-4 mission, which was launched Wednesday on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS). The docking took place ahead of schedule at 4:05pm IST as the Dragon autonomously attached itself to the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers closely monitored this automated approach and docking procedure. The Ax-4 crew comprises former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISRO's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, and ESA astronauts Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Upon arrival, they were welcomed by the seven-member Expedition 73 team and given a standard safety briefing. The Axiom-4 mission is historic as it marks the first time an Indian has reached the ISS. It also marks the first long-duration stay on the ISS for Polish and Hungarian astronauts. Shukla, who is piloting this mission, said, the launch was exhilarating—you feel a strong push into the seat, and suddenly it's silent. You're weightless, floating in space—it's magical. Shukla expressed his deep gratitude to the mission team, calling the journey a collective achievement. He said, This experience belongs to everyone who played a role in getting us here. It's not just my moment—it's ours. The Axiom-4 mission is one of Axiom Space's most research-intensive missions yet, with joint NASA and ISRO experiments on muscle regeneration, edible algae growth, aquatic microorganisms' survival in space, and human interaction with digital screens in microgravity.