Shubhanshu Shukla scripted history on Thursday by becoming the first Indian astronaut to enter the International Space Station (ISS) along with the Axiom-4 crew members. Visuals of the historic moment have been posted by NASA on X.
Visuals show that soon after hatch opened, the astronauts entered the ISS and were seen celebrating their safe arrival by hugging and smiling at each other. The spacecraft, named Grace, achieved a soft capture with the space station at 4:01 pm IST over the North Atlantic Ocean.
The international crew includes astronauts from the United States, Hungary, and Poland, who docked successfully after a carefully timed approach aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Earlier in the day, Shukla had greeted from space with a ‘Namaskar’. In his message he said, he was “learning like a baby… how to walk and eat in space.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, lauded the mission’s success and the importance of Shukla’s role. In a post on X, he wrote, “Congratulations #Axiom4! Docking accomplished. Shubhanshu stands at the threshold entrance of International Space Station #ISS … waiting to step in for a 14 day sojourn…. as the world watches with excitement and expectation.”
Shubhanshu Shukla will conduct 7 India-specific studies in space. Shukla is also now the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma’s flight in 1984.
