Shubhanshu Shukla
Indian astronaut's space odyssey: Shubhanshu Shukla to pilot Axiom-4 mission to ISS on June 10
Years after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma added a jewel to the crown of India's space story, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will create history by becoming the second person from the South Asian nation to go for a spaceflight on June 10.
However, he will be the first Indian to reach the ISS.
With three other crew members, 39-year-old Shukla, who goes by the nickname 'Shux', will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket.
Speaking on his preparation for the flight, Shukla was quoted as saying in a video released by Axiom Space: "It has been an amazing journey."
He further said, "I can only say how extremely fortunate I am to be a part of this."
As per NASA website, the crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The targeted docking time is approximately 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 11.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission.
The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
Axiom-4 Mission
As part of a collaboration between NASA and ISRO, Axiom Mission 4 delivers on a commitment highlighted by US President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut to the station.
The space agencies are participating in five joint science investigations and two in-orbit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics demonstrations.
"NASA and ISRO have a long-standing relationship built on a shared vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration," NASA said in a statement.
Rakesh Sharma wishes Shukla for his space voyage
Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (retired), the first Indian to fly to space, wished Shukla for his maiden space expedition.
"Well, I tell Shubhanshu all the very best, happy landings and look forward to whatever you're going to see. You come back a changed person is what I'm going to tell him... I would say over the years, maybe not instantly, but over the years when you go over that experience, it brings in new insights as to what's happening to planet Earth. It gives you a sense of where you should be going, where space exploration should be going. So that it does change you," Wing Commander Sharma told NDTV.
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