Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will make history by becoming the first Indian ever to break into the International Space Station (ISS).
On Wednesday, the team captain Shukla drove the Axiom-4 (AX-4) mission he was driving. Led by former NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, the AX-4 includes Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Crews were seen floating in the spacecraft in a video shared by private company Axiom Space on Thursday. They will spend two weeks on the International Space Station.
The group captain Shukla is the second time in history to go to space. His trip is here Astronaut Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to fly in the Russian Republic in 1984 for 41 years.
AX -4 – Commercial flight operated by Houston’s Axiom Space – lifted Wednesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (NASA)’s Kennedy Space Center (06:31; 12:01 Indian time).
Thursday’s docking is scheduled to 07:00edt (11:00 GMT; 1630 Indian time).
The mission is a collaboration between NASA, ISRO of the Indian Space Agency, the European Space Agency (ESA) and SpaceX. Two European astronauts will also bring their country back to space in forty years.
During the two-week mission, staff will spend most of their time performing 60 scientific experiments, including seven designed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
ISRO paid Rs 5 billion ($59 million; £43 million) on AX-4 and his training to secure a seat for Captain Shukla, who said the hands-on experience he will gain during his trip to the ISS will help India in its human space flight.
ISRO said it hopes to launch the country’s first ever human space flight in 2027 and announced ambitious plans to build a space station by 2035 and send astronauts to the moon by 2040.
Earlier Thursday, Axiom Space conducted a live uplink with the astronauts on board, where Captain Shukla talked about his first 24 hours in space.
“What a riding ride!” he said, adding that it was a surprising feeling, just floating in space,” and “it’s very interesting”.
He smiled and said, “I didn’t feel great when we were shot and vacuum, but I was told I’ve been sleeping a lot, which is a good sign.”
He added: “I love the views, experience and re-learning like babies, how to walk, control myself, eat and read.”
As the group Shukla and the other crew members said, Joy – a small white toy swan described as the “fifth crew” of the AX-4 – surfaced.
Axiom said Joy was “not just a cute companion to the AX-4 crew” and headed to space as a “zero G (zero gravity) indicator.”
On Thursday’s broadcast, group captain Shukla said the little swan “symbolizes wisdom and ability to distinguish what is important and what is not “in this age of distraction that is so important that it is so important.”
Shortly after Wednesday’s release, Commander Peggy Whitson revealed their vehicle’s name: Grace.
“Grace is more than just a name,” she said. “It reflects the grace of our movement in space against the background of the earth. It illustrates the perfection of our mission, the harmony of science and spirit, and our humble unrecognized favor.”
She added that the name reminds: “Space flight is not only a feat of engineering, but an act of kindness – for everyone, people everywhere.”
