India in space after 41 years as Falcon 9 returns post ISS lift-off with Shubhanshu Shukla aboard

In a historic development for India, Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station.

Jun 25, 2025 - 21:30
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India in space after 41 years as Falcon 9 returns post ISS lift-off with Shubhanshu Shukla aboard

India’s return to human spaceflight: In an excellent 2d for Indian space narrative, Shubhanshu Shukla became the fundamental Indian astronaut to reach the Global Space Attach (ISS), 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s historical mission. For those unversed, Shukla is a a part of Axiom Space’s fourth inner most spaceflight mission. Launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Heart in Florida, SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 12:01 pm IST carrying the astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission in direction of the ISS.

India’s return to human spaceflight

The astronauts began orbiting the Earth 10 minutes after the commence, prompting Shukla to whisper India’s return to human spaceflight after 41 years.

“Kamaal ki budge thi (It used to be an excellent budge),” Shukla acknowledged rapidly after the Dragon spacecraft used to be placed in orbit in some unspecified time in the future of the Earth at an altitude of 200 km. The spacecraft is anticipated to dock on the ISS at 4:30 pm on Thursday, capping a 28-hour traipse.

Mission to space

The Lucknow-born Shukla, inclined NASA astronaut Mission Commander Peggy Whitson, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary are a part of the Axiom-4 mission that marks the return to space for the three nations.

Shukla became the fundamental Indian astronaut to shuttle to the Global Space Attach, a traipse that comes 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s eight days in orbit as a part of the then Soviet Union’s Salyut-7 space effect in 1984.

“Namaskar, my expensive countrymen; we possess reached space after 41 years. It used to be an excellent budge,” Shukla acknowledged.

“We are orbiting Earth at a lag of seven.5 km per 2d, I if truth be told possess the Indian tricolour embossed on my shoulders that tells me that I'm with all of you,” he acknowledged in Hindi.

Notably, Shukla is anticipated to participate in different outreach occasions in some unspecified time in the future of his stop on the ISS and is additionally expected to possess interplay with Top Minister Narendra Modi.

(With inputs from companies)

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