As the Axiom-4 mission carried four international astronauts to space, it marked India’s reentry into the human space programme. And with it, ISRO astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the second Indian to go to space.

Shukla, who is the pilot of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, is joined by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson of the US, European Space Agency astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and HUNOR astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

‘Namaskar, Mere Pyare Deshvasiyom!’ came the first non-mission words from Shukla aboard the spacecraft, wishing everyone in Hindi. “What a ride! We are finally back in space after years,” he exclaimed before following up with an all-too-familiar announcement regarding the speed of the spacecraft—almost as if piloting us all on a civil aviation flight.

WATCH | Axiom-4 LAUNCH LIVE: India’s second manned mission to space

“On my shoulder, I have my Tiranga (Tricolour, the Indian flag), which means you are all with me, and I am with you all,” Shukla beamed with pride and humility.

“This is not just the beginning of my journey to the International Space Station; it is a brand new chapter in India’s manned space programme,” added the ISRO astronaut.

Wishing that each and every Indian be part of this journey, he concluded his short wish aboard the Dragon capsule with “Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!”

The final launch was minutes after the targeted time of 12.01pm IST on June 25 2025 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The four are on their way to the International Space Station, Dragon si set to executes a series of burns that position it progressively closer to the ISS before it performs final docking manoeuvres, followed by pressurisation of the vestibule, hatch opening, and crew ingress.