Axiom 4 space flight, with India’s Shubhanshu Shukla on board, lifts off
Shukla, an Indian Air Force pilot, became the second Indian citizen to go to space.
Shubhanshu Shukla became the second Indian to go to space as the Axiom 4 spaceflight lifted off from Florida, United States on Wednesday.
Axiom 4 is a private spaceflight to the International Space Station. The astronaut module is expected to dock at the space station on Thursday. They are expected to spend up to 14 days in space.
Moments after the spacecraft reached Earth’s orbit on Wednesday, Shukla said that India had reached space after 41 years.
“The tricolour on my shoulder is telling me that I’m not alone, I’m with all of you,” Shukla said in Hindi. “This is not just the beginning of my journey to the International Space Station, this is the beginning of India's human space programme. I want all countrymen to be a part of this journey.”
Shukla will be the first Indian to live and work on the International Space Station.
We have LIFTOFF of Axiom Mission 4!
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) June 25, 2025
The #Ax4 mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at 2:31am ET June 25, taking four private astronauts to the @Space_Station for a mission of up to 14 days. pic.twitter.com/lhRkWUwAGk
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the successful launch of the space mission. He said that Shukla carries with him “the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians”.
The mission is operated by US-based space infrastructure firm Axiom Space. The astronaut module was launched on board a SpaceX rocket, in partnership with National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA.
The Indian Space Research Organisation paid Rs 500 crore to secure an Axiom 4 seat and training, the BBC reported.
The other three astronauts are Peggy Whitson from the US, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Another Indian, Prasanth Nair, was among the three backup crew.
Shukla, a 39-year-old pilot in the Indian Air Force, is among the four astronauts shortlisted by the Indian Space Research Organisation for its planned Gaganyaan mission, which is the country’s first human spaceflight.
The Axiom 4 space flight was scheduled to lift off on June 11 but was postponed after a liquid oxygen leak was detected.
Rakesh Sharma, an Indian Air Force officer at the time, was the first Indian citizen to go to space in 1984 on board a Soviet spacecraft.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as new details are available.
