When and where to watch Axiom-4 mission carrying India's Shubhanshu Shukla lift off for ISS?
The crew will ride in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket. It will lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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The Hindu
32 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Axiom-4 mission: ‘What a ride,' says Shubhanshu Shukla as India returns to human spaceflight
'Kya kamaal ki ride thi (what an amazing ride),' India's astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla remarked as SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft entered the orbit around the earth within 10 minutes of launch from NASA's spaceport in Florida. Group Captain Shukla, who became the second Indian to travel to space, spoke in chaste Hindi to announce India's return to space after a gap of 41 years, and urged everyone to be a part of his journey. "The Tiranga (Tricolour) on my shoulders tells me that I am not alone and I am with all of you," the 39-year-old fighter pilot-turned-astronaut said in his first remarks from the earth's orbit. "Namaskar, my dear countrymen. What a ride! We have returned to space after a gap of 41 years and what an amazing ride it was," he said. "We are orbiting the earth at a speed of 7.5 km per second... This is not just the beginning of my journey to the International Space Station, but the beginning of India's human space programme and it is my desire that all the countrymen become a part of this journey," Group Captain Shukla said. "Your chest, too, should swell with pride... Together, let's embark on this journey of India's Human Space Programme. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat," Group Captain Shukla said. Group Captain Shukla scripted history by embarking on a space odyssey along with three others to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space on Wednesday (June 25, 2025), 41 years after astronaut Rakesh Sharma's spaceflight onboard a Russian spacecraft. The Dragon spacecraft — named Grace by the astronauts — is expected to dock at the International Space Station at 4:30 p.m. IST on Thursday (June 26, 2025). The 14-day mission on board the ISS will "realise the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary. 'Yun hi chala chal'... fighter pilot, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla sets off on space odyssey As he zoomed into space on board the SpaceX Falcon 9-rocket on Wednesday (June 25, 2025), Group Captain Shukla gave wing to the hopes of an entire nation - and realised his own dream that likely first took shape when he attended an air show as a child. The 39-year-old, who propelled himself into history as the first Indian on the International Space Station and only the second to go into space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984, has more than 2,000 hours of flying experience on a wide range of fighter jets over a decade-long career in the Indian Air Force. The Lucknow-born Shukla, who goes by the call sign 'Shux', is part of an ISRO-NASA supported commercial spaceflight by Axiom Space that blasted off for a 14-day sojourn to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Millions dream of soaring into space, to conquer that final frontier. And some like Shukla get to give it fruition. His elder sister Suchi Shukla remembers when it all first started. 'As a child he had once been to an air show, and he later told me how he was fascinated by the speed and sound of the aircrafts. Then he had spoken of his dream to fly, but of course there was no telling at the time how quickly he would embrace his dream. 'As an Indian and as his sister, it's definitely a very proud moment, for this space journey of my brother is carrying with them the hopes and blessings of a billion Indians,' Ms. Suchi told PTI ahead of the launch that was delayed several times. He is carrying the taste of home with him in his space odyssey, she said. The astronomer loves gajar ka halwa and moong dal ka halwa, she said. 'He wanted co-passengers on his space journey to taste them as well,' Ms. Suchi said. He was selected to be part of India's astronaut corps in 2019 along with fellow test pilots Prasanth Balkrishnan Nair, Angad Pratap and Ajit Krishnan for the Gaganyaan mission, India's maiden human spaceflight, which is likely to be launched in 2027. Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, a year after his hero icon Rakesh Sharma's historic spaceflight, Group Captain Shukla did his schooling from City Montessori School (CMS) before joining the National Defence Academy. 'He has got that drive and that focus in him on what he wants in life. Once he decides, like, for example, to be the first Indian to go to the ISS, he focusses on it, puts his entire resources and his mind into it, and removes all other obstacles,' said Nair, Group Captain Shukla's back-up astronaut. He was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2006, and has over 2,000 hours of flying time on a wide range of aircraft including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Jaguar, and Dornier-228. He holds an MTech in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Group Captain Shukla and the three other Gaganyaan astronaut designates underwent extensive training at Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre and ISRO's Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru. Group Captain Shukla's crewmates on the Axiom-4 mission, commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, describe him as 'operational-savvy', 'focussed' and 'wicked smart' when it comes to space technologies. The crew shared their launch day playlist. His was the song 'Yun Hi Chala Chal…', an ode to life road song about travel and more that he has taken to space. It is from 'Swades', the Shah Rukh Khan starrer quite coincidentally about a NASA scientist. The astronauts began orbiting the Earth 10 minutes after the launch, prompting Group Captain Shukla to announce India's return to human spaceflight after 41 years. 'It is not just the start of my journey to the ISS but also of India's human spaceflight. I want each one of you to be part of this journey, let us embark on India's human space programme together.' Back home on Earth and in his hometown Lucknow, CMS president and manager Geeta Gandhi Kingdon perhaps put it best when she said, 'We are all overjoyed. Though their rocket is yet to reach the space, we are already over the moon.' 'From a curious young learner in our classrooms to a pioneering astronaut, Shux's story beautifully encapsulates our school's mission of 'Education for World Unity and Peace',' she said. This remarkable career almost never happened. It was sheer providence that saw Group Captain Shukla take his National Defence Academy (NDA) exam, his father Shambhu Shukla recalled. 'Some of his CMS classmates had brought up a form for NDA. One of them realized that he was overage by a few days and inquired from Shubhanshu if he would like to apply instead. That's how it all started.' He recalled the exact moment when the family learnt that Shukla had been selected for the NDA. '… truth be told, back then in 2001-2, we had a landline phone on which one of Shubhanshu's friends had called. Mistaking me for my son, he had excitedly shared Shubhanshu's result. That's how we came to know about it. After that he went to take his interview and got selected there,' said Shambhu. He added that the family would have liked to see the young man in the civil services. But that was then. Today was the day of celebration for not just his family but his school, peers, teachers, his city and the country. In Lucknow, Group Captain Shukla's school CMS organised a 'public watch party' to celebrate his spaceflight. CMS is also where he first met his wife Kamna though the couple had an arranged marriage, his father said. They have a six-year-old son Kiash. 'The one great quality about my son is that even if you go to him with 400 kilogram of stress, you would return considerably lighter,' he said. During the 14-day stay at the ISS, the Ax-4 crew is expected to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, school students, and space industry leaders, among others. Group Captain Shukla is set to conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments developed under a collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA. ISRO has lined up a set of seven experiments for Shukla, who will also participate in five joint studies planned by NASA for its human research programme. It has drawn up plans to focus on India-centric food for carrying out experiments on the ISS, including sprouting methi (fenugreek) and moong (green gram) in microgravity conditions.
The Print
35 minutes ago
- The Print
From Sharma to Shukla, India's spaceflight goes from Russia's goodwill to NASA's partnership
Modern-day joint collaborations between nations and space agencies differ significantly from those in the past. Today, there is a strong economic dimension to such partnerships. Four decades ago, the Soviet Union under Leonid Brezhnev offered India an opportunity to send a cosmonaut into space. Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's 1984 journey aboard Soyuz T-11 could be seen as a goodwill gesture. In contrast, for the Axiom-4 mission, India is known to have paid around Rs 550–600 crore. Axiom Space, a US-based space infrastructure company founded in 2016, partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch commercial astronauts to the ISS. SpaceX launched the mission using its Falcon 9 rocket. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is part of the Axiom-4 mission through its collaboration with NASA. As Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla successfully begins his journey to the International Space Station (ISS), it is important not to view the Axiom-4 mission as a one-off event. Four agencies are involved in this mission. For India, this mission is important for developing its future space programmes. The insights gained will benefit the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, as well as future missions such as India's space station and possible crewed missions to the Moon. Shukla will gain a lot of experience in space travel by working on a space station, experience that will prove useful for India's upcoming missions. He is piloting the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS and is expected to conduct seven specialised experiments during his stay. These experiments have been jointly designed and developed by ISRO and the Department of Biotechnology. This marks the first time ISRO is conducting research under microgravity conditions. Astronaut Shukla will also carry out exclusive experiments related to food and nutrition. The goal is to pioneer space nutrition and develop self-sustaining life-support systems, which would be vital for long-duration missions. A major focus is on India-centric food, including experiments on sprouting *methi* (fenugreek) and *moong* (green gram) in microgravity. There is a proposal to expose seeds to space's microbiotic conditions and return them to Earth for further analysis. Along with the other astronauts, Shukla will also be involved in diabetes monitoring. Other key experiments include studying muscle degeneration and myogenesis in microgravity (which is crucial for astronaut health on long missions) as well as the cognitive effects of screens ('Screens in Space') on human vision and performance. ISRO has already successfully conducted a space docking experiment and plans another mission involving docking in an elliptical orbit. Apart from India's upcoming Moon mission, expertise in space docking is going to be extremely important for building and operating India's own space station. Shukla is expected to gain hands-on knowledge of various aspects of docking through this mission. The experience of conducting experiments in microgravity will also help in designing future experiments aboard India's space station. An Indian astronaut spending around 14 days aboard the ISS offers invaluable real-world experience in spacecraft operations, including crew health management, emergency procedures, docking manoeuvres, and daily life in space. Beyond the scientific gains, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's mission to the ISS reinforces India's global standing in space exploration. It also sparks curiosity and inspiration among the next generation of scientists, engineers, and future space travellers. Ajay Lele is a Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘Tears of joy': Shubhanshu Shukla's parents get emotional during Axiom-4 launch
As the Axiom-4 Mission soared into orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, it marked a proud and emotional milestone—not just in global space exploration, but for one family watching thousands of kilometres away in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force officer and the mission's pilot, is leading India's return to space after more than four decades. Watching the launch, his mother Asha Shukla was moved to tears. 'Everyone is happy. These are tears of joy,' she said. His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, added, 'It feels great. This was all God's blessings.' #WATCH | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Mother of IAF Group Captain & astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Asha Shukla, gets emotional as she cheers for her son, who is part of the #AxiomMission4 — ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2025 #WATCH | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Asha Shukla, the mother of IAF Group Captain and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, says, 'Those were tears of joy. We are happy.'#Axiom4 — ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2025 'What a ride': Shubhanshu Shukla's message enroute space Speaking from aboard the Dragon spacecraft, Shukla shared a heartfelt message to his countrymen. 'Namaskar, my dear countrymen, what a ride. We are back in the space once again after 41 years. It's an amazing ride. We are revolving around the Earth at a speed of 7.5 kilometres per second. The Tiranga embossed on my shoulders tells me that I am with all of you. This journey of mine is not a beginning to the International Space Station (ISS) but to India's Human Space Programme. I want all of you to be part of this journey. Your chest, too, should swell with pride. You all also show excitement. Together, let's initiate India's Human Space Programme. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!,' he said. Hours before the spacecraft took off, Shukla took to Instagram to thank those who supported him through his journey. However, what caught internet's attention most was a small note dedicated to his wife. 'Special thanks to Kamna for being the wonderful partner that you are. Without you, none of this was possible but more importantly none of this would matter,' he wrote. Shukla now follows in the footsteps of Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew into space in 1984 aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission. Sharma spent seven days aboard the Salyut 7 space station—until now, the only Indian to have ventured into space. What is the Axiom-4 Mission? Launched aboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, Axiom-4 Mission is a collaboration between National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS). Docking is targeted for 4 pm IST on June 26. The crew is expected to spend up to 14 days conducting scientific research, commercial activities, and outreach. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and Axiom's director of human spaceflight, commands the mission. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla serves as pilot, with Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary as mission specialists. The astronauts are equipped with Axiom's new AxEMU spacesuits, designed to enhance space exploration capability while supporting NASA's lunar goals. The suits are built for high performance and adaptability across a broad range of crew members. Ax-4 is set to be Axiom Space's most research-intensive mission yet. The crew will conduct approximately 60 scientific studies representing 31 countries, including India, the US, Poland, Hungary, UAE, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and multiple European nations. NASA and ISRO are jointly involved in experiments exploring muscle regeneration, microalgae growth, the resilience of aquatic organisms, and how humans interact with electronic displays in microgravity. Axiom Space has been steadily expanding its private astronaut missions. Ax-1 launched in April 2022, followed by Ax-2 in May 2023, and Ax-3 in January 2024. Each mission has progressively advanced the scope of private human spaceflight.
