The Axiom-4 Mission with IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla lifted off for the ISS from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on board a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft
The Axiom-4 Mission lifted off carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three fellow crew members to the International Space Station (ISS).
The mission is being piloted by Captain Shukla, an IAF Group Captain, on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA, in partnership with Axiom Space and SpaceX, launched the fourth private astronaut mission, known as Axiom Mission 4, to the ISS as it took off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission is led by the US’ Commander Peggy Whitson, with India’s IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as mission pilot and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski as mission specialists.
NASA stated in a statement that the targeted docking time was anticipated to be approximately 4:30 PM IST on Thursday (June 26).
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, meanwhile, greeted the nation from space, and expressed his excitement about returning to space after 41 years.
“Namaskar, my dear countrymen! What a ride! After 41 years, we are back in space, orbiting Earth at 7.5 km/s. The Tiranga on my shoulders reminds me I’m with all of you.
This mission marks not just a visit to the ISS, but the beginning of India’s Human Space Programme.
Let’s all take pride and be part of this historic journey. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!” Captain Shukla said.
