Astronaut and Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is poised to make history as the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS), marking a major milestone in India’s space ambitions.
Shukla launched into space on Wednesday aboard the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, a privately operated flight organized by Houston-based Axiom Space. The mission lifted off at 02:31 EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 07:00 EDT on Thursday.
Commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, the Ax-4 crew also includes Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The two-week mission brings Poland and Hungary back to space after decades, and marks a new era of global collaboration in commercial spaceflight.
Shukla becomes only the second Indian to travel into space, following Rakesh Sharma’s historic journey aboard a Russian Soyuz mission in 1984. His flight comes through a collaboration between NASA, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the European Space Agency (ESA), and SpaceX.
In a video released Thursday, the Ax-4 crew was seen floating in microgravity aboard their spacecraft, sharing their excitement just hours before docking. During a live uplink, Shukla described his first day in orbit: “What a ride! It’s an amazing feeling to be just floating in space,” he said. Laughing, he added, “I’m told I’ve been sleeping a lot, which is a great sign.”
The mission, which includes 60 scientific experiments, features seven designed by ISRO. India has invested ₹5 billion ($59 million) in Shukla’s seat and training — an investment ISRO believes will pay off as the country prepares for its first human spaceflight in 2027. ISRO has also set its sights on building a space station by 2035 and sending astronauts to the Moon by 2040.
During the broadcast, a small white toy swan named “Joy” floated alongside the astronauts. Described as the mission’s “zero-gravity indicator,” Joy holds symbolic meaning. “It represents wisdom and the ability to discern what is important — something we all need in this age of distractions,” said Shukla.
Commander Whitson revealed that the Ax-4 spacecraft has been named “Grace.” “It reflects the elegance with which we move through space against the backdrop of Earth,” she said. “This mission is not just science — it’s goodwill, for the benefit of all humanity.”
Shukla’s historic journey is being seen as a major leap forward for India’s presence in human space exploration, inspiring a new generation of scientists and dreamers back home.
