Introducing Joy, as the “fifth crew” of AX-4, American astronaut and mission commander Peggy Whitson said a swan held a cultural connection for all the countries representing the mission. “We believe Joy is the perfect representation of all the qualities that the mission imbibes,” he said. Shukla said that in the Hindu mythology, the swan represents the goddess Saraswati’s vehicle. According to Indian mythology, swan represents the greater values of wisdom, knowledge and clarity of thought and purpose, which has significant qualities of separating water from milk. In Poland, also part the mission, the swan is a symbol of grace, beauty and wisdom, and in Hungary, many traditional folklores have connected the swan to journeys beyond the Earth’s realm. NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) are collaborating to launch scientific investigations aboard Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. 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 mission is targeted to launch no earlier than Tuesday, June 10, aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 8:22 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 10, for launch of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4. This shift allows teams to account for predicted inclement weather during the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft transport in addition to completing final processing of the spacecraft ahead of launch". MORE UNI GV 0555