Shubhanshu Shukla becomes first Indian in space since 1984

A SpaceX rocket carried him and his three crewmates to space

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is one of the four members of Axiom Mission 4. Photo: EPA

India returned to human space flight after more than four decades as Shubhanshu Shukla travelled into orbit on Wednesday aboard a private SpaceX mission.

The Ax-4 flight, organised by Axiom Space, was delayed three times this month, first by a rocket fuel leak and then twice by an air leak on the International Space Station.

The launch took place at 10.31am GST from a spaceport in Florida and also includes Ax-4 commander and veteran Nasa astronaut Peggy Whitson, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewksi from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

A SpaceX Dragon crew capsule will dock with the space station in about 28 hours from lift-off.

Historic voyage

Mr Shukla, a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force and one of four astronauts selected by India’s space agency for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission, has become the first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma flew aboard a Soviet spacecraft in 1984.

Speaking in Hindi from inside the Dragon capsule when it entered space, Mr Shukla said: “It was an amazing launch. This is only the beginning of India's human space flight journey.”

He said becoming an astronaut was his childhood dream after being inspired by cosmonaut Mr Sharma.

However, the lack of an active Indian human space flight programme at the time made it seem like an impossible goal. Instead, Mr Shukla pursued a career in aviation, inspired by an air show he attended while at school.

“I grew up reading about him in textbooks and listening to his stories from space,” he said of Mr Sharma in a video posted by Axiom Space.

“I was deeply, deeply impressed by him … I would say I have been extremely fortunate and lucky to have got the opportunity to fly.”

India’s participation in the mission also reflects its increasing ambitions in space. While the country is preparing for its own crewed mission, Gaganyaan, within the 2020s, flying a citizen to the ISS with Axiom offers an opportunity to gain experience.

Indian food on board

The Indian government, along with its Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has prepared traditional meals for Mr Shukla’s two weeks in orbit.

Moong dal halwa (desert with lentils, ghee and milk), gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding), and aam ras (desert made with the pulp of a ripe mango) are among the space-friendly dishes he will carry to the station.

The Axiom-4 crew - pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, mission specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary, American commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialist Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. Reuters

Mr Shukla also plans on practising yoga while in space, after taking inspiration from Mr Sharma who famously did yoga and described his view of India from orbit as “saare jahan se achha” (better than the entire world).

“I would probably demonstrate a few poses of yoga while we are up on the station, but a more important aspect is that we need to practise that while we are on the ground so that we have a healthy body, which can house a healthy mind and allows us to execute this mission in our full spirits,” said Mr Shukla.

Anna Hazlett, founder of AzurX, a UAE-based space consultancy and investment firm, said such missions reflect the growing importance of public-private partnerships in space flight.

“Private space companies like Axiom Space are transforming human space flight, allowing nations without ISS partnerships to send astronauts to orbit,” she said.

“This model democratises space access, accelerates national space ambitions and fosters global collaboration. It helps create a more diverse space economy, which is what the new space sector is all about.”

Axiom Space’s commercial missions have already flown crewed astronauts from countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkey, Sweden and Italy.

Their missions are also allowing researchers to carry out crucial science work, including in the medical field.

This Ax-4 mission, for example, also carried a UAE-led medical study. Findings could help astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes join future missions and lead to new technologies that make treating the condition easier and more effective on Earth.

The research is by Abu Dhabi's Burjeel Hospital and Axiom Space.

The Saudi Space Agency said the mission also carried 10 science experiments by students from the kingdom.