Indian space traveller Shubhanshu Shukla is on the verge of scripting history as he is set to become the first Indian to step on the International Space Station. Hours ahead of lift-off, Shukla took to social media to share his pride and exhilaration.
"India is going back to space, Jai Hind," he posted on X, reflecting the country's eagerness for this historic mission.
After a series of postponements, Shukla's delayed voyage is now scheduled to get underway at 2:31 a.m. EDT (12 noon IST) on Wednesday. He will be taking off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, leaving Launch Complex 39A aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the new Dragon spacecraft.
Verifying the final preparations, Shukla tweeted: "Dragon's hatch is closed, all communication and suit checks are complete, the seats are rotated, and the Ax-4 crew is ready for launch!"
Shukla also put up a touching tribute to his wife Kamna on Instagram, remembering her constant support throughout his journey.
Special thanks to Kamna for being the terrific partner that you are. Without you none of this was possible but more importantly none of this would matter," he wrote, along with a tearful picture of the couple saying goodbye through a glass divider.
Apart from thanking his wife, Shukla also thanked all the many people who were behind the mission for the concerted effort it took to make it happen.
The mission, led by Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX, has an eclectic international crew and is a major leap forward for commercial spaceflight and international co-operation in the pursuit of space research.
Shukla is set to pilot the mission, joined by seasoned American astronaut Peggy Whitson, who is commanding the mission. Shukla is the second Indian to be flown to space after Rakesh Sharma's historic mission in 1984.
Accompanying them on the mission are Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu, who are both part of the mission as specialists.
During his stay on the ISS, Shukla will be working on state-of-the-art research, particularly identifying food sustainability and nutrition in space. One of his major experiments is to study the impact of space radiation and microgravity on edible microalgae — a high-nutrient food source with potential uses for future long-duration space travel.
SpaceX also posted confirmation of the mission being ready, on X: "All systems are go for Wednesday's launch of @Axiom_Space's Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station and weather is 90 per cent favorable for liftoff. Webcast at 12:30 a.m."
As the countdown begins, India looks on with pride as Shukla is about to represent the country on an international platform. This represents a giant leap for India's resumption of human spaceflight.
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