Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla Becomes First Indian To Reach ISS, Sends Message From Space
New Delhi, 26th June 2025: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a 39-year-old pilot from the Indian Air Force and now an astronaut, has successfully launched into space aboard the Axiom-4 mission and reached the International Space Station (ISS). Shortly after liftoff, he sent his first message from space, sharing his excitement and awe at the journey.
“Namaste from space. I’m thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts. What an incredible journey this has been. As I sat in the capsule on the launchpad, I had just one thought—let’s go!” said Shukla in a video message from orbit.
Shukla lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, seated inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Sharing his initial moments in orbit, he described his early impressions of microgravity and life aboard the space capsule.
He is one of four astronauts on the Ax-4 mission, joining mission commander Peggy Whitson, a veteran NASA astronaut with three prior spaceflights, as well as mission specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland.
Across India, Hungary, Poland, and the United States, thousands gathered in public watch parties to witness the launch. Shukla’s family, along with supporters from Lucknow to Budapest and Gdansk to Houston, watched the liftoff live. The historic launch took place from Pad LC-39A—the same site from which Apollo 11 embarked for the Moon in July 1969.
With this mission, Shukla has become only the second Indian citizen to travel to space, and notably, the first to reach the International Space Station. He now orbits Earth at a speed of 7.5 kilometers per second. The only other Indian to travel to space, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, flew aboard a joint India-Soviet mission in April 1984.
The Axiom-4 mission faced multiple delays prior to liftoff. Initially scheduled for 29th May, the launch was postponed several times due to adverse weather conditions and technical issues with the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule. Teams from NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space worked for nearly a month to resolve all anomalies and ensure a successful launch.
