We've reached space after 41 years: Shubhanshu Shukla sends first message from orbit

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, speaking from aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft just 10 minutes into flight, marked a historic moment for the nation as he became the first Indian to head to the International Space Station (ISS).

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“Namaskar, my dear countrymen; after 41 years, we have reached space. It was a great ride,” Shukla said, moments after the Axiom-4 mission entered Earth’s orbit.

Orbiting at a speed of 7.5 km per second, the Lucknow-born Air Force officer added, “I have the Indian tricolour on my shoulders. It tells me I am with you all.”

Shukla became the first astronaut to travel to the International Space Station, a journey that comes 41 years after Rakesh Sharma's eight days in orbit as part of the then Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station in 1984.

In a message filled with national pride and symbolism, he continued, “This is not just the start of my journey to the ISS but also the beginning of India’s human spaceflight era.”

The Axiom-4 mission lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 pm IST on Wednesday.

The four-member crew is expected to dock at the ISS at 4:30 pm IST on Thursday, following a 28-hour journey.