From Lucknow to the ISS: Shubhanshu Shukla scripts history with Ax-4 launch

Lucknow-born IAF pilot Shubhanshu Shukla becomes the second Indian in space, leading India's participation in the Axiom-4 mission

Lucknow's Triveni Nagar was soaked in tears and pride as the family of Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla watched him soar into space, becoming only the second Indian to do so. 

 

At precisely 12:01 pm IST, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the Ax-4 crew to the International Space Station (ISS).

 

The mission is being piloted by Shukla, a 39-year-old test pilot with the IAF, whose journey from the lanes of Lucknow to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere is now etched into India’s space history.  READ AXIOM MISSION-4 UPDATES LIVE

 

‘A moment of pride’ in Lucknow

 

As the rocket engines thundered into the sky, emotions overflowed thousands of miles away in Lucknow. Shukla’s mother, Asha Shukla, spoke with immense pride: “It is a moment of pride for us and everyone else. Posters are being put up everywhere... He has all the support of our daughter-in-law. This could not have been possible without her.”

 

His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, added, “We are delighted. Our blessings are with him... He is bringing laurels to Lucknow, the state and our country... We are proud of him.”

 

Earlier in the day, Asha Shukla performed a traditional Indian ritual by virtually offering her son dahi cheeni — a good luck gesture practiced in Indian households before important tasks.

 

“We just told him to go and complete his mission, and then we will meet again,” she told NDTV.  ALSO READ | 'It was a great ride': Shubhanshu Shukla's first message after lift-off

Second Indian in space

 

Born in 1985 — just a year after Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian in space — Shukla now carries that legacy forward. The Ax-4 mission is a collaboration between Isro and Nasa, announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2023 visit to the US.

 

Shukla is accompanied by:

 

• Dr Peggy Whitson (Commander): The most experienced US astronaut, with 675 days in space

• Slawosz Uznanski (Poland, ESA): Physicist and CERN engineer

• Tibor Kapu (Hungary): HUNOR astronaut and specialist in polymers and radiation

ALSO READ | India returns to space after 41 yrs, Shubhanshu Shukla lifts off on Axiom-4  

Flight to the ISS

 

The Falcon 9 lifted off from Launch Complex 39A — the same historic site used for Apollo 11. The Dragon spacecraft will take around 28 hours to reach the ISS and is expected to dock by 4:30 pm IST on June 26.

 

Shukla, as mission pilot, oversees navigation, trajectory monitoring, and system backups — bringing his experience as a test pilot of aircraft such as the MiG-21, MiG-29, and Sukhoi-30 MKI into spaceflight.

 

What’s on the agenda in space?

 

Once aboard the ISS, Shukla will conduct seven Indian-designed scientific experiments, including:

 

• Growing Indian superfoods like moong and methi in microgravity

• Studying microbial behaviour, muscle loss, and mental health in space

• Exploring algae as a sustainable space food source

• Observing human cell ageing in zero gravity

 

He is also expected to interact with Indian students from space, inspiring the next generation of explorers.  ALSO READ | What will Shubhanshu Shukla do during his 14-day space mission? Details

Why Ax-4 is a game-changer for India

 

The Ax-4 mission is a significant step for India’s Gaganyaan programme, the country's upcoming indigenous human spaceflight project. Shukla is one of four astronauts shortlisted for the mission, currently scheduled for launch in late 2026 or early 2027.

 

The current mission provides critical real-time exposure to life in space — from pre-launch quarantine to post-mission recovery — and will directly contribute to India’s readiness for long-duration spaceflight.

 

The 14-day Ax-4 mission also includes research backed by the ESA, Nasa, and Hungary’s HUNOR programme. Polish experiments will focus on neurofeedback, gut microbiome changes, and wearable health tech, while Hungarian researchers will study cognition, motor skills, and even fruit fly resilience.

 

From $8.4 billion in 2024, India’s space economy is projected to soar to $44 billion by 2033, according to a FICCI-EY report. But this trajectory will require a net investment of $22 billion.

 

A growing constellation of startups — including Dhruva Space, Bellatrix Aerospace, Skyroot, Manastu, and Agnikul Cosmos — are fuelling this rise with innovations in propulsion systems, launch vehicles, and satellite design. Even legacy firms such as MapmyIndia are entering the sector with geospatial solutions and navigation technology.