Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a serving officer in the Indian Air Force, that has captured the imagination of Indians across the globe. With this mission, Shukla becomes only the second Indian to fly into space and the first ever to reach the ISS. His milestone comes 41 years after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma spent eight days aboard the Soviet Union’s Salyut-7 space station in 1984.

Agencies/ THE NEWS DOSE DESK

New Delhi/Chandigarh, June 25:UPDATED: June 25,3.30PM

In a historic moment for Indian space exploration, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force on Wednesday became the first Indian astronaut to journey to the International Space Station (ISS). His flight aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, part of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, marks a new chapter in India’s growing presence in international space collaboration.

The rocket successfully lifted off at 12:01 PM IST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, following multiple weather and technical delays. The mission is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Thursday at 4:30 PM IST, completing a journey of nearly 28 hours through space.

Shukla is one of four astronauts aboard the Dragon spacecraft, which is making its maiden voyage on the back of the trusted Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The Ax-4 mission is being operated by Axiom Space, a private American space company working closely with NASA and SpaceX to develop commercial space travel and research aboard the ISS.

The Ax-4 crew includes:

• Peggy Whitson, a decorated former NASA astronaut and commander of the mission, who holds the record for the most cumulative days in space by an American (665 days),

• Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, an engineer and European Space Agency reserve astronaut,

• and Tibor Kapu, a payload specialist from Hungary, making his country’s debut in crewed spaceflight.

However, it is the presence of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a serving officer in the Indian Air Force, that has captured the imagination of Indians across the globe. With this mission, Shukla becomes only the second Indian to fly into space and the first ever to reach the ISS. His milestone comes 41 years after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma spent eight days aboard the Soviet Union’s Salyut-7 space station in 1984.

The mission is expected to last for over a week on the ISS, during which the crew will conduct a variety of scientific experiments, technology demonstrations, and educational outreach activities. These include microgravity studies and Earth observation tasks, with Shukla also contributing to a few experiments designed by Indian institutions under international collaboration.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his warm congratulations to Shukla and the Ax-4 crew soon after the launch.

“The Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is on his way to becoming the first Indian to reach the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes, and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. I wish him and the entire Ax-4 crew a successful mission,” Modi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

India’s space diplomacy and its commitment to global space cooperation have taken a significant step forward with this mission. While the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) continues to advance its indigenous Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, Shukla’s journey reflects India’s growing partnership with commercial and international space entities.

Officials from the Indian government, ISRO, and the Indian Air Force have hailed the mission as a landmark moment that will inspire the next generation of Indian scientists, engineers, and space explorers.

The launch also signals the increasing role of private space companies like Axiom Space in building a future beyond Earth orbit. Axiom aims to build the first commercial space station to succeed the ISS in the coming decade, and these private missions serve as precursors to a more accessible space environment for research and tourism alike.

For India, Shukla’s presence on the ISS is more than a personal achievement — it is a national milestone that rekindles the legacy of Rakesh Sharma and sets the stage for India’s expanding ambitions in space.