India's First Step in Space Station - Shubanshu Shukla Reaches ISS

Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla, along with three other astronauts, reached the International Space Station (ISS) on June 26 at 4:01 PM, after a 28-hour journey. At around 6 PM, the hatch of the space station opened, and all astronauts entered the ISS.

Shubanshu is the first Indian to reach the ISS and the second Indian to travel to space. 41 years ago, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian astronaut to travel to space in 1984 aboard the Soviet Union's spacecraft.

During the welcome ceremony on the ISS, Shubanshu said, "It is my fortune that I am one of the few who has seen Earth from the space station. With your love and blessings, I have reached the International Space Station. Standing here seems easy, but it is quite difficult."

He added, "My head is heavy, and I am feeling some discomfort, but these are small things. We will get used to it in a few days." Earlier in the day, during a live conversation from the spacecraft, Shubanshu said, "Greetings from space! I am learning like a child... how to walk and eat in space."

Under the Axiom Mission 4, the astronauts had departed for the ISS around 12 PM on June 25. They took off from the Kennedy Space Center in SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket, aboard the Dragon capsule. This mission had been delayed six times due to technical issues and weather-related problems.