Sudhanshu Shukla becomes first Indian to travel to ISS in 40 years: Read his note on Instagram before takeoff
Sudhanshu Shukla, Group Captain in the Indian Air Force, has made history by flying aboard the
SpaceX
Dragon spacecraft as part of the Axiom-4 mission to the
International Space Station
(ISS). The launch took place at 12:01 pm today, June 25, after multiple delays. Shukla is the first Indian to travel to the ISS in nearly four decades, following in the footsteps of
Rakesh Sharma
, who spent eight days in space in 1984 as part of a Soviet mission. A day before the mission, Shukla shared a post on Meta-owned Instagram where he expressed gratitude to those who supported him on his journey. Reflecting on the
Axiom 4 mission
, Shukla thanked the mission team, his loved ones back home, and especially his family and friends, acknowledging the unseen sacrifices they made along the way.
In a special mention, he credited his partner Kamna Shubha for being his constant support, writing, 'Without you none of this was possible but more importantly none of this would matter.' Shukla ended his note by saying, 'No one travels to space alone,' a tribute to the collective effort behind his launch.
Shudhanshu Shukla's Instagram post before liftoff
As we plan to leave the planet early morning of 25 Jun, I wish to thank everyone who has been involved in this mission for their support and also to all the people back home for their blessings and love.
A big thank you to family and friends who have been my bedrock in this journey. Sometimes your close ones make sacrifices that you do not even fully understand but they do so out of their love for you.
Special thanks to @kamnashubha for being the wonderful partner that you are. Without you none of this was possible but more importantly none of this would matter..
No one travels to space alone.. we do so on the shoulders of so many more. I feel grateful to each and every one of you. THANK YOU.
What is Axiom 4 mission
Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, is the fourth private space mission to the International Space Station organized by
Axiom Space
in partnership with SpaceX and NASA. Shukla is joined by mission commander and former
NASA
astronaut Peggy Whitson, along with Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungary's Tibor Kapu. The mission also marks a return to space for both Poland and Hungary. The crew is set to spend two weeks aboard the ISS conducting around 60 scientific experiments in areas like plant biology, muscle health, and microbial studies in microgravity.
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