New Delhi, June 25:
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force has made history as the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), lifting off aboard Axiom Space’s commercial mission, Ax-4. The launch, which took place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 PM IST on Wednesday, marks a major milestone in India’s space journey.
Shukla, born in Lucknow, joins three other international crew members on this pathbreaking mission—former NASA astronaut and mission commander Peggy Whitson, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu. The mission represents a return to space for all three nations involved, and a giant leap for India’s human spaceflight aspirations.
This launch makes Shukla only the second Indian ever to enter space—coming 41 years after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic mission aboard the Soviet Salyut-7 in 1984. Unlike Sharma, however, Shukla is the first Indian to journey to the ISS, a hub of international scientific collaboration and research.
Rakesh Sharma, in a recorded message, congratulated the crew and said, “Greetings from India… have a fun time guys.”
According to NASA, the crew is expected to dock at the space station around 4:30 PM IST on Thursday, June 26. The Axiom-4 mission had faced multiple setbacks since its original target launch date of May 29, owing to technical issues, weather constraints, and readiness checks involving SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the Dragon spacecraft, and the ISS itself.
Over the course of nearly a month, the astronauts remained in extended quarantine as engineers from NASA, ISRO, Axiom Space, and SpaceX worked tirelessly to address the challenges. The mission finally cleared all checks for launch on Wednesday after seven delays.
“Setbacks and delays are part of the spaceflight journey. Our Ax-4 team has stayed positive and focused, and we’re excited to finally be en route to the Space Station,” said mission commander Peggy Whitson ahead of the launch.
The mission not only showcases international cooperation but also marks a significant chapter in India’s growing role in human space exploration. With Shukla’s journey now underway, India is one step closer to deeper participation in global space missions.
— Northeast Press
