‘This is God's blessing': Group Captain Shukla's family reacts to Axiom 4 launch
Group Captain Shukla's family expressed immense pride as they watched their son launch into space as part of Axiom Mission 4. Shubhanshu's dedication and hard work have propelled him to this significant achievement, marking a milestone for India's involvement in space exploration. The mission inspires students and highlights growing global space partnerships.
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Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
An Indian's Back In Space, India Ready To Follow
An Indian's Back In Space, India Ready To Follow Chethan Kumar TNN Jun 25, 2025, 21:30 IST IST Rakesh Sharma's 1984 spaceflight with the Soviets didn't lead to a manned space programme, but this time Gaganyaan's in the works and Shukla's learnings will come in handy Around noon yesterday, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla hurtled skywards aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. He's expected to reach his final destination – International Space Station (ISS) – today evening. Shukla is only the second Indian to leave Earth's bounds. The first, of course, was Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984, who replied ' Saare jahan se achha ' when PM Indira Gandhi asked how India looked from space.
The Hindu
37 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Industry, academia hail Group Captain Shukla's Axiom 4 mission to ISS
The academia and industry have hailed the launch of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom 4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) said hearty congratulations to Group Captain Shukla on becoming the first Indian astronaut to head to the ISS. Group Captain Shukla was an MTech student at IISc and two of the seven microgravity research experiments which he would be conducting during his 14-day stay at the ISS had been proposed by the institute. The two experiments are survival, revival, reproduction, and transcriptome of the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp. BLR strain in space and analysing human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity by IISc. Indian Space Association (ISpA) also praised Wednesday's launch. 'We are proud and happy to see Group Captain Shukla become the second Indian to travel to space, this time as part of the Axiom-4 mission. This journey is a testament to the growing global footprint of India in space exploration and is a stepping stone to what we want to achieve with Gaganyaan, our own indigenous human spaceflight programme. The success of missions like Axiom-4 inspires our ecosystem and strengthens our resolve to make India a leading force in the new era of space exploration,' said Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhatt (retd), Director-General, ISpA. 'From conquering the skies to touching the stars— a journey powered by the indomitable spirit of the IAF Air Captain Shubhanshu Shukla sets forth on a landmark Space Mission, carrying the pride of the nation beyond Earth. This is a dèja-vu moment for India, 41 years after the mission of Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma, who first carried our Tricolour beyond Earth. Being more than a mission — it is reaffirmation of India's ever-expanding horizon,' the Indian Air Force (IAF) said in a post on X. Group Captain Shukla is an alumnus of NDA and was commissioned on June 17, 2006 in the fighter stream of IAF. He is a fighter combat leader and a test pilot with approximately 2,000 hours of flying experience. He has flown a variety of aircraft including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, An-32 etc.
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Shubhanshu Shukla's space groove revealed: Before liftoff, he chose this Shah Rukh Khan song
As the countdown hit zero and the SpaceX rocket soared into the sky early Wednesday morning, Indian Air Force pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla probably had one song running through his mind, 'Yun Hi Chala Chal' from Shah Rukh Khan 's Swades. The track, a favourite from the 2004 film, was part of Shukla's launch-day playlist. Composed by AR Rahman and sung by Udit Narayan, Kailash Kher, and Hariharan, the song captures the spirit of quiet determination, as he headed into orbit. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Axiom Space posted the crew's full playlist. While mission commander Peggy Whitson picked Thunder by Imagine Dragons, it was Shukla's Bollywood choice that made headlines and sparked applause back home- 'Yun Hi Chala Chal' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bank Owned Properties For Sale In Batasan Hills (Prices May Surprise You) Foreclosed Homes | Search ads Search Now Undo — Axiom_Space (@Axiom_Space) Shukla is part of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station . The SpaceX Dragon lifted off from Florida's Launch Complex 39A at 2:31 am ET (12 noon IST), carrying four crew members: Whitson, Shukla, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Live Events Also Read: Shubhanshu Shukla takes off for ISS, here's what he said before embarking on the Axion-4 Mission Docking is expected by 4 pm IST on Thursday, June 26, with the crew spending up to 14 days in space. They'll conduct over 60 experiments across disciplines, representing 31 countries, including India. Shukla's flight is also a symbolic collaboration between ISRO and NASA, with astronauts donning next-generation AxEMU spacesuits, tech designed for future Moon missions under NASA's Artemis programme. In a full-circle moment echoing Swades, where an Indian-origin NASA scientist finds purpose back home, Shukla now carries India's spirit to space.
