Shubhanshu Shukla scripts history, becomes second Indian to step into ISS
PTC News Desk: Twenty-eight hours after lifting off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla made history by becoming the second Indian astronaut to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS), as the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission successfully docked with the orbiting lab on Thursday.
The #Ax4 crew—commander Peggy Whitson, @ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, @ESA astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and mission specialist Tibor Kapu—emerges from the Dragon spacecraft and gets their first look at their home in low Earth orbit. pic.twitter.com/5q0RfoSv4G — NASA (@NASA) June 26, 2025
The astronauts plan to spend about two weeks aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities. The mission is sending the first ISRO astronaut to the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. The private mission also carries the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station.
Earlier, in a live interaction from aboard the spacecraft, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, serving as the mission pilot, described the launch as "magical" and reflected on his journey.
"I am thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts--what a ride it was. Honestly, as I sat in the capsule 'Grace' on the launchpad yesterday after 30 days of quarantine, all I could think was: just go. When the launch finally happened, it was something else entirely. You're pushed back into the seat--and then suddenly, there's silence. You're just floating in the vacuum, and it's magical," Shukla said.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre at noon IST on Wednesday with Shukla, Whitson, Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Kapu onboard.
The Ax-4 team will remain aboard the ISS for up to 14 days, engaging in science experiments, outreach, and commercial work. This marks Axiom Space's most research-intensive mission yet, with NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) jointly conducting experiments on muscle regeneration, edible microalgae growth, survival of aquatic microorganisms, and human interaction with digital displays in microgravity.
- With inputs from agencies
