New Delhi : Indian astronaut Shubhangshu Shukla and three fellow space travelers arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, marking a historic moment as they were warmly welcomed by the onboard crew.
The Axiom-4 mission, operated by SpaceX, successfully docked its Dragon spacecraft with the ISS at 4:01 PM IST as it passed over the North Atlantic Ocean. According to NASA, the docking occurred at 6:31 AM EDT (4:01 PM IST), marking the arrival of the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS.
Shukla, who hails from Lucknow, becomes only the second Indian to reach space, following Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 flight aboard the Soviet Salyut 7 mission.
The Axiom-4 crew is led by mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, with Shubhangshu Shukla serving as the mission pilot. Also onboard are Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, both of whom are now the second space travelers from their respective nations.
The spacecraft was shown approaching the station live by NASA, and the docking process concluded by 4:15 PM IST. Around 6 PM IST, the ISS hatch opened and the Axiom-4 crew members floated inside, greeted by the existing station crew.
With this mission, Shubhangshu Shukla joins the elite list of Indian space explorers — taking a giant leap forward for private astronaut participation from India.
