20 hours Ago
Shukla is the second Indian to travel in space, after Rakesh Sharma who flew aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. The Ax-4 mission is a commercial flight and takes off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 02:31 EDT on Wednesday (06:31 GMT; 12:01 India time). The spacecraft, which docked with the ISS at 06:31 EDT (10:31 GMT; 16:01 India time) on Thursday, has taken the total number of crew on the ISS to eleven.
A Global Collaborative Mission
Ax-4 is commanded by former N.A.S.A. astronaut Peggy Whitson, with Shubhanshu Shukla serving as the pilot. The other two astronauts, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary are also flying the flag for their countries in space for the first time in over 40 years. The mission is a collaboration of several international space agencies, including India's space agency Isro.
In the next two weeks, the Ax-4 team will conduct about 60 scientific experiments, seven of which are developed by Isro. India spent 5 billion rupees ($59 million; £43 million) for Shukla's seat and training. The mission will strengthen India's human spaceflight programme and contribute to mission Gaganyaan, whose plan is to launch its first crewed mission by 2027, build a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
Space Life and Symbolic Acts
During a live conversation, Group Captain Shukla spoke about how it felt like being in space for the first time. "What a ride!" he said, describing what it felt like to float and sleep in zero gravity. He joked that he felt unwell initially and was getting better now, comparing the process to the child's learning.
Floating along with the astronauts is Joy, a small white toy swan dubbed the mission's "fifth crew member." To that end, Joy acts as a zero-gravity indicator: Joy signifies "wisdom and the ability to discern what is important," Shukla explained, a message that's all the more relevant in today's day and age.
Commander Peggy Whitson also disclosed the name of their spacecraft: Grace. She said it represents elegance, scientific integrity and the spirit of goodwill, and that space missions are conducted to benefit everyone on Earth.
