New Delhi: The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) spacecraft docks with the International Space Station (ISS) at around 4 pm IST on Thursday, carrying four astronauts, including Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched successfully from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:31 am EDT (12 noon IST) on Wednesday.

The Ax-4 crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson from the United States, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India, and mission specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland. The docking took place at the Harmony module’s space-facing port on the ISS.

What is the mission?

This mission is not just a major milestone because of its scientific goals, but also because it marks a historic moment for India. With this journey, Shukla becomes the first Indian to reach the International Space Station, and only the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma’s mission in 1984.

Once aboard the ISS, the crew will carry out a series of research experiments. Shukla will lead studies focused on food sustainability in space, particularly the growth of edible microalgae in microgravity. This experiment is a collaboration between ISRO, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and NASA. It will evaluate changes in algae under space conditions, comparing them with Earth-based samples to assess their viability as a long-term nutrition source for astronauts on future missions.

Earlier in the day, four astronauts went live

In a live message from orbit, Shukla said, "Namaskar, my dear countrymen! What a ride! We are back in space after 41 years. It’s an amazing ride. We are revolving around Earth at a speed of 7.5 kilometres per second." He also said this was not a personal achievement, but a collective journey for the Indian space community. “I am carrying the Indian flag with me, and this is the journey of India’s human space flight,” he said.

To feel closer to home while in space, Shukla has taken along Indian comfort foods like carrot halwa, moong dal halwa, and mango nectar.