In a moment of immense pride for India, IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has become the second Indian astronaut to travel to space, 41 years after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic mission in 1984. Shukla, a 39-year-old fighter pilot selected by ISRO, is the pilot of the Axiom-4 mission, a privately operated commercial flight to the International Space Station (ISS).
Shukla’s launch marks India’s return to human spaceflight after more than four decades. The mission is operated by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company, and lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 PM IST (2:31 AM EDT). The Axiom-4 launched and they are in the Earth Orbit.
Joining Shukla on this historic journey are mission commander Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
Just moments after achieving orbit, Shukla addressed the nation with a stirring message from space:
“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… We are orbiting the earth. Together, let’s initiate India’s Human Space Programme. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!”
Shubhanshu Shukla First Indian to be in International Space Station
These were the first words from orbit by an Indian astronaut since 1984, marking a historic moment as Shukla becomes the first Indian to fly on a commercial international mission to space. He also set to become first Indian to reach in International Space Station.
The launch did not come without last-minute challenges. Engineers had to resolve a critical real-time wind data upload issue, which could have compromised the Launch Escape System. The problem was resolved just a minute before the countdown crossed the critical point at T-minus 35 minutes, allowing the mission to proceed safely.
The Axiom-4 mission is the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS and represents a new era of global space collaboration and commercial spaceflight. For India, it also signals the beginning of a bold chapter in human space exploration as ISRO advances toward its indigenous Gaganyaan mission.
With Shubhanshu Shukla’s successful journey into orbit, India reclaims its place in human spaceflight — not just as a participant but as a nation with ambitions to lead.
