USA (Commonwealth Union)_ India has marked a historic milestone in space exploration. For the first time in 41 years, an Indian astronaut has entered space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force became the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, June 25. Shukla is part of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), a private spaceflight organized by the US-based company Axiom Space. The mission launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida shortly after noon (IST). The crew is traveling in the Crew Dragon spacecraft and is expected to dock with the ISS roughly 28 hours after takeoff.
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Once on board the ISS, Shukla will become the first Indian to visit the space station and only the second Indian to travel to space. The last Indian in space was Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. “This is not just my mission—this is India’s return to human spaceflight,” Shukla said shortly after launch. “We are orbiting Earth at 7.5 kilometers per second. I carry the Indian flag on my shoulder with pride. This marks a new chapter in our space journey,” he said.
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The Ax-4 crew includes astronauts from Hungary and Poland as well, marking their countries’ return to space after decades. The four-member team underwent weeks of preparation and quarantine before launch. Over the course of their two-week stay in space, they will carry out around 60 scientific experiments for more than 30 countries. Shukla’s presence on this mission is especially important for India. He is one of four astronauts chosen for India’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send Indians into space aboard an Indian rocket by 2026 or 2027. Additionally, the Indian government has allocated around ₹550 crore for this exclusive mission.
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Born in Lucknow in 1985, Shukla joined the Indian Air Force in 2006 and has flown several fighter aircraft, including MiGs and Sukhois. With over 2,000 hours of flight experience, he was shortlisted in 2023 for India’s first human space mission. While aboard the ISS, Shukla will assist in research that may help build Axiom’s own future space station. Additionally, one of the Indian-led experiments will study cyanobacteria, a type of microorganism that can produce oxygen by converting carbon dioxide. This research could play a key role in developing sustainable life-support systems for future space missions.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shukla for his achievement. “The whole nation is proud of Group Captain Shukla’s mission,” said President Murmu. “This reflects the strong partnership between ISRO and NASA.” Prime Minister Modi also hailed the launch, calling it a symbol of global unity. “Our astronaut carries the hopes of 1.4 billion Indians. We wish him and the crew great success,” he said in a post on social media. This mission not only strengthens India’s role in global space exploration but also brings the country one step closer to having its space station by 2035 and even sending an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
