 "Shubhanshu Shukla was named the ‘Prime’ astronaut for the Indo-US mission to the International Space Station in August last year. Image: Axiom Space")
Shubhanshu Shukla scripted history on Wednesday after his Axiom-4 space mission successfully lifted off from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Shukla, along with three other crew members, is on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket.
Shortly after the historic launch of the mission , Shukla sent a message from the Dragon spacecraft to Indians across the world who eagerly watched his mission lift off after multiple delays.
Speaking in Hindi, he said, “Greetings, my fellow countrymen. What a ride. After 41 years, we have made it back to space. And what a magnificent journey it has been. Right now, we are orbiting the Earth at a speed of 7.5 kilometres per second. And on my shoulder, I carry the Indian tricolour, symbolising that I am here with all of you.”
“This is not just the beginning of my journey to the International Space Station — this is the beginning of India’s human spaceflight program. And I want all of you, the people of India, to be a part of this journey,” he added.
The targeted docking time is approximately 4.30 pm IST on Thursday, June 26, NASA said in a statement.
The Ax-4 crew includes astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary — each representing their country’s first mission to the space station. According to Axiom Space, it also marks the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years.
Impact Shorts
View AllShukla is the second Indian astronaut to fly to space since 1984 after Rakesh Sharma. He is part of Axiom Space’s fourth private space mission, marking a significant moment for India’s space exploration in collaboration with Nasa.
Shukla will conduct seven experiments in space that are aimed at encouraging microgravity research in India, which hopes to build its space station by 2035 and send astronauts to the moon by 2047.