For 1st Time in 4 Decades, an Indian Takes Up Space!
Indian Air Force Group Captain
Shubhanshu Shukla
lifted off aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center at 12:01 pm Wednesday, achieving the rare feat of being only the second Indian to journey to space after Rakesh Sharma's historic flight in 1984.
On the 14-day trip for the
Axiom mission
(Ax-4), the four-member crew including Nasa veteran Peggy Whitson, Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungary's Tibor Kapu will conduct more than 60 scientific experiments representing 31 countries aboard the
International Space Station
(ISS). 'Namaskar, my dear countrymen! What a ride! We are back in space once again after 41 years. It's an amazing ride,' were the first thoughts shared by Shukla from the Dragon space capsule. He will serve as the pilot on the mission.
Lucknow-born Shukla said his journey is not the beginning of India's journey to the ISS but the country's pivot to its human space programme.
The Ax-4 mission will provide valuable operational experience for India ahead of its maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, which aims to carry a three-member crew to low-earth orbit. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) mission is scheduled for 2027, followed by Bhartiya Antriksh Station by 2035, and a planned human moon landing by 2040.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shukla and wished the mission success.
'The Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians,' the PM wrote on X.
Shukla, along with his crew, is scheduled to dock at ISS's Harmony module in low-earth orbit at 4:30 pm India time on Thursday. The journey from launch to docking is estimated to take 28 to 29 hours.
In a statement, Nasa said the collaboration with Isro enabled Ax-4 to fulfill a commitment made by US President Donald Trump and PM Modi to send the first Isro astronaut to ISS. The two leaders had made the announcement during their summit in February, seeking to broaden civil space cooperation. 'The space agencies are participating in five joint scientific investigations and two in-orbit STEM demonstrations,' the US space agency said. 'Nasa and Isro share a long-standing relationship rooted in a common vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration.'
The launch was delayed several times over the last one month due to issues in the electrical harness in the Crew Dragon Module, unpreparedness of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, unfavourable weather conditions, and oxygen leakage in the engine bay of the ISS.
On Wednesday, too, engineers at SpaceX resolved a critical issue involving the uploading of real-time wind data, which is necessary to enable the Launch Escape System. Just T-minus 35 minutes before the take-off, the data upload was successfully confirmed. Back home, space-tech startups and academia cheered Shukla's journey, hoping for a sustained human space exploration programme that can open new avenues for research and commercial space flights. 'Seeing an Indian in orbit will add an 'Indian flavour' to low earth orbit for all of us here. Space will become more relatable in an intangible way,' said Srinath Ravichandran, cofounder of AgniKul Cosmos. Industry body Indian Space Association (ISpA) said the success of the mission will push more companies and startups to build world-class technology in India. 'India is now in the final stages of preparation for the
Gaganyaan mission
, with firms like Larsen & Toubro, Tata and Ananth Technologies playing a critical role alongside our vibrant startups,' said Lt Gen AK Bhatt (retd), Director General, ISpA.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
18 minutes ago
- The Print
Space travel alters world view… planet Earth belongs to everyone: Rakesh Sharma
Sharma had spent eight days in orbit in the erstwhile Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station in 1984. He shared his thoughts in a recorded podcast shared by the Ministry of Defence on the day India returned to space after 41 years, as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from India and three other astronauts set forth on a landmark space odyssey on Wednesday. New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Astronaut Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to journey into space in 1984, said space travel alters the mindset of humans and makes them see the world from a perspective that 'this planet belongs to everyone' and is not the sole preserve of anyone. Shukla scripted history by embarking on space travel, along with three others from the US, Poland and Hungary, to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space. In the podcast released Wednesday night, Sharma, who had famously said, 'Sare Jehan Se Acha…' during his time in the orbit, said he was a test pilot in the Indian Air Force when the selection happened. He later retired as wing commander from the IAF. 'Because I was a test pilot when the selection happened.. that time, I was young, I was fit, and I had the qualification, so I was lucky enough to have been chosen. Then, after selection, we moved to Star City, just outside Moscow, for our training. 'The training went on for 18 months, which culminated in the Indo-Soviet spaceflight in 1984. It was an eight-day mission, and we carried out experiments which were designed by Indian scientists,' he said. Sharma recalled that the entire training, and communication with crew members and mission control while they were in orbit, was in Russian. 'We had to learn the language before we started training, and that was not easy because of the paucity of time. So, we took about two months to learn the language,' he said. While the Indo-Soviet spaceflight took place in an analogue era when very few owned a television, the Axiom-4 mission lift-off was watched by people on TV screens and mobile phones live across the globe. After multiple delays, Elon Musk's SpaceX launch vehicle with Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon-9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 pm (IST) carrying mission pilot Shukla, former NASA astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. 'Kamaal ki ride thi (It was an amazing ride),' Shukla said 10 minutes after the Dragon spacecraft was placed in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of 200 km as part of the Axiom Mission 4(Ax-4). In the podcast, Sharma, when asked how he felt watching the world and India from space, exclaimed, 'Oh dear! Beautiful.' 'In our country, we got everything: we got a long coastline, we got the ghats section, we got plains, we got tropical forests, we got mountains, Himalayas. It's a beautiful sight, different colours, different textures,' he said. Sharma said in space, days and nights are very unusual, as sunrises and sunsets happen at an interval of just 45 minutes. He said while space travel technology has changed, 'as humans, we haven't changed much'. 'The mental impact will always be there because humans will be able to get a different perspective. It does kind of alter the world view… (shows) the vast place in universe,' the veteran astronaut said. It changes the mindset, he emphasised. The IAF, in a post on X, said Shukla has set forth on a landmark space mission, carrying the pride of the nation beyond Earth. It also said, 'This is a dèjà-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 a reaffirmation of India's ever-expanding horizon.' Asked about the future of Indian space travel, Sharma said, 'We will be going farther and farther from planet Earth.' 'We really need to preserve what we have, which means we need to end conflicts, we need to forget about our weapons….this planet belongs to everyone, it is not a sole preserve,' he underlined. Sharma added that space exploration will 'keep marching ahead'. 'I am hoping that India will be a modern leader in the years to come, and India will succeed in its (space) mission, which I am quite confident we will,' he said. Sharma said after his return from the mission, he went back to the Indian Air Force. 'And after few years, I moved to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as their chief test pilot,' he said, and recalled his association with the evolution of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) 'Tejas'. PTI KND AMJ SKY SKY This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
18 minutes ago
- The Hindu
‘Space travel alters worldview, Earth belongs to everyone,' says Rakesh Sharma as Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission makes history for India
Astronaut Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to journey into space in 1984, said that space travel alters the mindset of humans, making them see the world from a perspective where "this planet belongs to everyone" and is not the sole preserve of anyone. He shared his thoughts in a recorded podcast shared by the Ministry of Defence on the day India returned to space after 41 years, as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from India and three other astronauts set forth on a landmark space odyssey on Wednesday (June 25, 2025). Mr. Sharma had spent eight days in orbit in the erstwhile Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station in 1984. Mr. Shukla scripted history by embarking on a space travel mission, along with three others from the U.S., Poland, and Hungary, to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space. Sharma recollects historic flight In the podcast released Wednesday night, Mr. Sharma, who had famously said, 'Sare Jehan Se Acha...' during his time in the orbit, said he was a test pilot in the Indian Air Force when the selection happened. He later retired as wing commander from the IAF. "Because I was a test pilot when the selection happened.. that time, I was young, I was fit, and I had the qualification, so I was lucky enough to have been chosen. Then, after selection, we moved to Star City, just outside Moscow, for our training. Qualified cheer: The Hindu editorial on Shubhanshu Shukla, Axiom-4 mission "The training went on for 18 months, which culminated in the Indo-Soviet spaceflight in 1984. It was an eight-day mission, and we carried out experiments which were designed by Indian scientists," he said. Mr. Sharma recalled that the entire training and communication with crew members and mission control while they were in orbit was in Russian. "We had to learn the language before we started training, and that was not easy because of the paucity of time. So, we took about two months to learn the language," he said. Different era While the Indo-Soviet spaceflight took place in an analogue era when very few owned a television, the Axiom-4 mission lift-off was watched by people on TV screens and mobile phones live across the globe. After multiple delays, Elon Musk's SpaceX launch vehicle with Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon-9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 pm (IST) carrying mission pilot Shukla, former NASA astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. "Kamaal ki ride thi (It was an amazing ride)," Mr. Shukla said 10 minutes after the Dragon spacecraft was placed in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of 200 km as part of the Axiom Mission 4(Ax-4). In the podcast, Mr. Sharma, when asked how he felt watching the world and India from space, exclaimed, "Oh dear! Beautiful." "In our country, we got everything: we got a long coastline, we got the ghats section, we got plains, we got tropical forests, we got mountains, Himalayas. It's a beautiful sight, different colours, different textures," he said. Mr. Sharma said in space, days and nights are very unusual, as sunrises and sunsets happen at an interval of just 45 minutes. Mental impact He said while space travel technology has changed, "as humans, we haven't changed much". "The mental impact will always be there because humans will be able to get a different perspective. It does kind of alter the world view... (shows) the vast place in universe," the veteran astronaut said. It changes the mindset, he emphasised. The IAF, in a post on X, said Mr. Shukla has set forth on a landmark space mission, carrying the pride of the nation beyond Earth. It also said, "This is a dèjà-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 a reaffirmation of India's ever-expanding horizon." Future of space travel Asked about the future of Indian space travel, Mr. Sharma said, "We will be going farther and farther from planet Earth." "We really need to preserve what we have, which means we need to end conflicts, we need to forget about our planet belongs to everyone, it is not a sole preserve," he underlined. Mr. Sharma added that space exploration will "keep marching ahead". "I am hoping that India will be a modern leader in the years to come, and India will succeed in its (space) mission, which I am quite confident we will," he said. Mr. Sharma said after his return from the mission, he went back to the Indian Air Force. "And after few years, I moved to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as their chief test pilot," he said, and recalled his association with the evolution of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) 'Tejas'.
News18
18 minutes ago
- News18
Billion Dreams, Tearful Moments & Pride: India's Shubhanshu Sharma Heads To Space With Axiom-4 Launch, See Pics
1/8 The aircraft is carrying Shukla, who will be the pilot, along with Axiom-4 commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu. (Image: X)
