Indian back in space after 41 years, Shubhanshu Shukla lifts off on Axiom-4 mission

Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla lifted off aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 12:01 pm on Wednesday, achieving the rare feat of being only the second Indian to journey to space after Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984.

On the 14-day trip for the Axiom mission (Ax-4), the four-member crew including NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, Poland’s Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu will conduct more than 60 scientific experiments representing 31 countries aboard the International Space Station (ISS).