Shubhanshu Shuklas Secret Space Symbol: Joy The Swan Is More Than Just A Toy, Know How
Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, broadcasting live from the International Space Station (ISS), today unveiled a special companion on board the Axiom Mission 4: a soft toy swan named "Joy," who turned out to be much more than merely a Zero-G indicator.
During a live webcast, Group Captain Shukla, flying Axiom Mission 4, described his experience getting into space. He started his speech with the traditional Indian greeting of "Namaste" before confessing to his pre-launch jitters. As he spoke, the white swan toy floated calmly before him, performing its sole function as a microgravity visual reminder.
"We demonstrated to you, Joy and Grace. You understand that this is a swan; it is quite cute-looking, but we have a very significant swan in our Indian culture," Shukla said, holding up the stuffed toy. "The swan is all about wisdom. It also can distinguish… what to concentrate on and what is not."
#WATCH | "Namaskar from space! I am thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts. What a ride it was," says Indian astronaut Group Captain Subhanshu, who is piloting #AxiomMission4, as he gives details about his journey into space.
Carrying a soft toy Swan, he says, in Indian… pic.twitter.com/Z09Mkxhfdj — ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2025
He continued, "So this means a lot more. It's not a Zero-G indicator only. And I think we all carry some symbolism – in Poland, in Hungary, in India too. So I think it appears to be a coincidence but it is not that. It has more significance."
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force officer, took off on this mission yesterday. Axiom Mission 4 was launched on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 2:31 AM Eastern Time (12 Noon IST) on Wednesday. He is serving in an international crew led by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space director of human spaceflight. European Space Agency mission astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary are included in the mission.
A Zero-G indicator is an item that is installed within a spacecraft and will start to drift when the vehicle goes into microgravity, providing visual assurance of weightlessness to both the crew and mission control. For "Joy," the swan now has a significant cultural message in addition to its functional purpose, representing India's presence and wisdom within the orbital station.
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