Axiom-4 mission embarks on 28 hour journey to ISS, with India’s Shubhanshu Shukla and 3 others
By R Anil Kumar
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The targeted docking time at the orbiting laboratory is approximately 7.am Eastern Time (4.30pm) IST on June 26
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The Axiom-4 Crew will spend 14 days at the ISS conducting experiments of vital importance
Florida. After few delays the Indian Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla piloted Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), lifted-off from the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida on June 25, at 2.31 am EDT(12.01 Pm IST).
In his very first message after about 7 minutes from lift-off, Shubhanshu Shukla said that this was not just his journey to Space, but the beginning of India’s ambitious Space Programme.
“Namaskar my dear Countrymen. What a ride. After 4 decades we are once again on the sojourn to explore space. On this momentous occasion I am carrying the Country’s tri-colour on my shoulders which tells me that I am not alone and that the whole of Country is with me.
This is not the start of my journey alone to ISS, but the beginning of India’s Space Programme. I want every of my Countrymen to be part of this Journey. Let’s join together in this endeavour and make our Country proud. JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT”, he concluded.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla who is the mission pilot along with three other Crew Mission Commander Peggy Whitson of the US, Mission Specialist Slawosz Uznañski Wisniewski of Poland and another Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary, embarked on a 14 day journey to the International Space Station on a SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft after launching on a Falcon-9 rocket.
