By Sulagna Halder,
New Delhi, June 25, 2025:
After forty years, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has made history by becoming the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian to travel into space.
He is a member of the four person, multinational Axiom-4 mission, which departed early Wednesday morning (IST) aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule "Grace" from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Launch Complex 39A at 12:01 pm IST (2:31 am EDT). Over a two week stay aboard the ISS, the mission, which is run in collaboration with NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX, aims to carry out scientific research, technology demonstrations, and educational outreach.
At around 4:30 p.m. IST on Thursday, the Crew Dragon is anticipated to dock with the ISS. Shukla, a distinguished test pilot in the Indian Air Force, was selected for this international partnership by Axiom Space after being selected for India's Gaganyaan astronaut training program. On this historic voyage, he travels with Hungarian pilot Tibor Kapu, Polish engineer Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and veteran American astronaut Peggy Whitson.
“I carry the hopes and dreams of over a billion Indians," Shukla stated in his pre launch speech. This is a celebration of India's rising prominence in space as well as a personal mission. "Jai Hind, Jai Bharat" was his first message to Earth after entering orbit, and it swiftly gained popularity on social media.
Shukla will supervise a number of Indian-designed scientific experiments while on board the ISS, including investigations into the effects of microgravity on plant growth and microbial activity in space habitats. These initiatives are anticipated to provide insightful information for India's 2026 launch of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.
ISRO, India's space agency, congratulated Shukla and described his accomplishment as "a proud moment for the nation." "India's journey into human spaceflight has a new hero," tweeted Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh. Kudos to Shubhanshu Shukla and the whole Ax-4 crew.
A larger trend toward commercial space operations includes the Axiom-4 mission. As part of its long term objective to build the first commercial space station in history, this is Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission. It is anticipated that the crew will splash down in the Pacific Ocean upon their return to Earth in mid July.
In addition to reviving India's history of human spaceflight, which was last carried out by Rakesh Sharma in 1984, Shukla's mission enhances India's standing in international space science and diplomacy.
