Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla piloted the Ax-4 mission, becoming the first Indian astronaut aboard NASA’s ISS orbiting lab. India erupted joyfully on Wednesday as the astronaut lifted off successfully from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Shukla, 39, is now the second Indian to enter space and the first to reach the International Space Station (ISS). The mission launched at 02:31 EDT using a SpaceX crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket with global agencies collaborating.
The Ax-4 flight, operated by Houston-based Axiom Space, includes NASA, ISRO, ESA, and SpaceX support. Shukla’s crew includes former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu.
Shukla addressed the nation minutes after the launch, saying India had returned to space after 41 years. His parents joined hundreds of cheering students in Lucknow to witness the historic liftoff. The crowd broke into applause as the rocket soared into the sky, marking India’s proudest space moment in 1984.
ISRO paid 5 billion rupees for Shukla’s Ax-4 seat and training, considering that this mission was vital to India’s plans. India aims to send its astronauts into space by 2027, build a space station by 2035, and reach the Moon by 2040.
Over the next two weeks, Shukla and the Ax-4 crew will conduct 60 experiments, including seven from India. These include studies on muscle loss, microalgae as food, and how space affects crop seeds and tiny animals called tardigrades.
ISRO plans live sessions with students during the mission, including a possible space interaction with Prime Minister Modi. Scientists say the mission will boost India’s human spaceflight capabilities.
