Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force is on the brink of making history as the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS).
Shukla is part of a four-member crew representing India, the United States, Poland, and Hungary, likely to dock with the ISS at 7 AM EDT (4:30 PM IST).
Hailing from Lucknow, Shukla lifted off for the International Space Station at 2:31 AM EDT (12 noon IST) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a brand-new Dragon spacecraft.
NASA confirmed in an update, “The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying four Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew members is orbiting Earth and on its way to the International Space Station after launching from Kennedy Space Centre at 2:31 AM EDT on Wednesday.”
The crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and Mission Specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu.
“It will dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 7 AM on Thursday,” NASA further added.
This mission marks a historic moment for India, as it places an Indian in space 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 journey.
In a message shared during his journey, Shukla said, “Namaskar, my dear countrymen! What a ride! We are back in the space once again after 41 years. It’s an amazing ride. We are revolving around the Earth at a speed of 7.5 kilometres per second.”
“This is not my journey alone, but I am carrying the Indian flag with me, and this is the journey of India’s human space flight,” he further added.
Taste of Home in orbit
For a taste of home, Shukla brought with him carrot halwa, moong dal halwa, and mango nectar to enjoy during the mission.
The Axiom-4 Mission goes beyond symbolic importance; it highlights India’s growing role in global science and technology and its commitment to advancing space innovation and sustainability.
During the mission, Shukla will carry out scientific experiments related to food and space nutrition aboard the ISS.
These studies are a collaboration between ISRO and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA.
The research aims to improve understanding of sustainable life-support systems needed for long-duration space travel.
It will also study how microgravity and space radiation affect nutrient-rich edible microalgae, assessing their growth and molecular changes in space versus Earth.
These experiments are expected to contribute significantly to the future of human space missions and food sustainability in orbit.
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