Florida: History is in the making as Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhangshu Shukla prepares to become the first Indian to board the International Space Station (ISS). As part of the Axiom-4 mission, Shukla and his crew are set to dock their Dragon spacecraft with the ISS today at 4:31 PM IST — marking a proud milestone in India’s space journey.
Shukla will be only the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma, and the first to visit the ISS — a globally significant feat. The Axiom-4 mission, a collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, Axiom Space, and ISRO, had faced six delays due to weather and technical issues before its successful launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday.
Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the mission went off flawlessly. Within minutes, the reusable first stage booster returned to Earth, and the Dragon capsule separated from the rocket at the ninth minute, entering Earth’s orbit at an altitude of 257 km. As mission test pilot, Shukla delivered a heartfelt message to the people of India from space.
Once docked, the crew will spend 14 days aboard the ISS conducting over 60 advanced scientific experiments, many tied to future space missions, including India’s Gaganyaan project.
With a project cost of ₹550 crore, the mission is led by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, now Human Spaceflight Director at Axiom Space. The journey will conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean after their two-week stay — but for India, the echoes of this achievement will resonate for decades.
