Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla made history becoming the first Indian astronaut to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) almost 28 hours after launching from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, as the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission successfully attached to the orbiting lab on Thursday.
The milestone signifies a victorious return for India to human spaceflight, occurring 41 years following Rakesh Sharma’s trailblazing mission in 1984. Shukla and his team came out of the hatch and were greeted by the Space Station welcoming committee, enjoying a drink to celebrate.
Team to spend 14 days on International Space Station
Shukla expressed excitement regarding the scientific tasks he and his team will conduct over the next 14 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Ax-4 team, launched on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft finished a 28-hour trip before performing a perfect docking maneuver at the ISS’s Harmony module.
Their works will encompass initiatives in cancer studies, DNA repair, and cutting-edge manufacturing, highlighting the increasing importance of commercial and global collaborations in space exploration.
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Soaring at a height of 418 kilometres over Earth and moving at speeds exceeding 17,000 kilometres per hour, the team got ready for the significant event by performing health assessments and adapting to microgravity conditions.
‘Slightly heavy head’
“Through your love and blessings, I have arrived at the Space Station. It seems simple being here, yet my head feels slightly heavy; nonetheless, everything is fine now. This is the initial phase, and we will conduct numerous scientific studies now. It’s the initial stage of India’s space exploration. Let’s make this adventure thrilling, and I am carrying the Tiranga, bringing each of you along with me. The upcoming two weeks will be thrilling,” Shubhanshu said in his message from ISS.
Shukla, acting as mission pilot, is accompanied by mission commander Peggy Whitson from the United States, and mission specialists Sawosz Uznanski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier praised Shukla and the Ax-4 team, emphasizing the mission as a representation of India’s growing prominence in international space initiatives.
