New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed the successful launch of the international space mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland, and the US, calling it a proud moment for the country as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla becomes the first Indian to head to the International Space Station.
“The Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes, and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians,” the Prime Minister said in a post on X.
He extended best wishes to all four astronauts aboard: Group Captain Shukla, mission commander Dr Peggy Whitson (US), and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
President Droupadi Murmu also hailed the moment, drawing a parallel to the Sanskrit ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — “the world is one family.” She said the international crew embodied this principle and described the launch as a moment of pride and global unity.
In a historic leap for Indian space exploration, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian astronaut to head to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, as part of the four-member Axiom-4 mission. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon capsule lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:05 pm IST.
The Axiom-4 mission is a commercial collaboration between NASA and Houston-based Axiom Space. Over the course of their 14-day stay aboard the ISS, the astronauts will carry out 60 scientific experiments, seven of which have been proposed by Indian researchers. These studies are expected to explore new frontiers in microgravity research and space technology.
Group Captain Shukla is only the second Indian to travel to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s historic 1984 mission. His role includes not only scientific research but also space outreach. He is expected to interact with a VIP from orbit as part of a broader public engagement initiative.
In his first message from orbit, he said: “This is the start of India’s human space program. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.” The mission, dubbed Mission Akash Ganga, is seen as a stepping stone toward India’s own human spaceflight programme in the coming years.
