History made: Shubhanshu and team enter Space Station

FLORIDA: In a landmark achievement, Shubhanshu Shukla and the Axiom-4 mission crew have successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), marking a proud moment for over 1.4 billion Indians. Shubhanshu has made history as the first Indian to set foot on the ISS. The Dragon spacecraft docked with the Harmony module of the ISS around 4 PM (IST) on Thursday. Following a series of system checks and safety procedures, the crew officially entered the space station at approximately 5:46 PM.

The four-member crew, including Shubhanshu, was launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon capsule at 12:01 PM (IST) on Wednesday. The launch took place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Shubhanshu was in charge of piloting operations during the journey to the ISS. With this mission, he becomes the first Indian to reach the ISS and the first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma’s historic voyage 41 years ago.

Originally scheduled for May 29, the mission faced seven delays due to technical issues before finally lifting off. Over the course of their 14-day stay, Shubhanshu and the team will carry out a range of scientific experiments on board.

Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, now Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space, is leading the mission. The crew also includes Slawosz Uznański from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. The Government of India has allocated Rs 550 crore to support Shubhanshu’s milestone mission.