NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla etched his name in the annals of space exploration history on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian astronaut to journey to the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian to reach space, 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s landmark mission in 1984. As part of Axiom Space’s Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, Shukla, serving as the mission pilot, lifted off aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 12:01 PM IST (2:31 AM EDT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, alongside three international crewmates. The launch marked a triumphant return for India to human spaceflight and a significant milestone in global space collaboration.

Shukla, affectionately nicknamed “Shux” by his crew, confirmed the spacecraft’s separation from the rocket and hailed the mission as a new chapter for India’s space exploration. “Namaskar, my dear countrymen! We have reached space after 41 years,” Shukla said in his first message from orbit, delivered 10 minutes into the flight. “I have the Indian tricolour on my shoulders. The tricolour tells me I am with you all,” he added, echoing the pride of 1.4 billion Indians.

The Axiom-4 mission, commanded by veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight, includes a diverse crew representing four nations: India, the United States, Poland, and Hungary. Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut and former IAF fighter pilot, serves as the mission pilot, monitoring the spacecraft’s trajectory and orbital parameters for docking. The mission specialists are Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, a Polish engineer supported by the European Space Agency, and Tibor Kapu, a Hungarian researcher part of the HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) program. A toy swan named “Joy” accompanies the crew as a zero-gravity indicator, adding a lighthearted touch to the mission.

The Axiom-4 mission, a commercial spaceflight organized by Axiom Space in partnership with NASA and SpaceX, faced multiple delays due to inclement weather, technical issues with the SpaceX rocket, and concerns with the Russian module of the ISS. Just 60 seconds before a potential abort on launch day, a critical technical glitch was resolved, ensuring the mission’s success. SpaceX reported 90% favorable weather conditions, paving the way for the Falcon 9 rocket to roar into the sky, carrying the Dragon spacecraft with Shukla and his crew toward their 28-hour journey to the ISS, orbiting 400 kilometers above Earth.

The crew is set to spend 14 days aboard the ISS, conducting over 60 scientific experiments representing 31 countries. These experiments, ranging from food and nutrition studies to advanced materials research, are a collaborative effort between ISRO, NASA, and other international partners. Shukla’s experiments are particularly significant for India’s Gaganyaan program, the country’s ambitious plan for a crewed mission in 2027, as they will provide critical data for ISRO’s human spaceflight initiatives.

The Axiom-4 launch was celebrated across India, with leaders and citizens alike hailing Shukla’s achievement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the crew, stating, “Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is on the way to become the first Indian to go to International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians.” President Droupadi Murmu lauded the mission as a step toward a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India), while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called it a “historic milestone in the history of space exploration.”

Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shukla’s path to space began with a childhood fascination with aviation, sparked by an IAF airshow. A graduate of the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, he joined the IAF’s fighter stream in June 2006, rising to the rank of Group Captain and earning accolades as a decorated pilot. Selected as one of four astronauts for ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission, Shukla’s assignment to Axiom-4 came unexpectedly, just a week before his arrival at Axiom Space. “I was extremely excited… this was a possibility for me to actually fly to space,” he said in a pre-launch interview.