'We Have Reached Space After 41 Years,' Shubhanshu Shukla Sends First Message From Space

"Namaskar, my dear countrymen! We have reached space after 41 years," said Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla in his first message to the nation, after Axiom-4 mission was launched. Shukla scripted history by embarking on a space odyssey along with three others to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space on Wednesday.

The much-delayed Axiom-4 mission launched off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 12:01 pm IST towards the ISS amid cheers from watch parties organised across the world.

"It was a great ride. We are orbiting earth at a speed of 7.5 km per second," he said 10 minutes into spaceflight. "I have Indian tricolour on my shoulders. The tricolour tells me I am with you all," Shukla said from Dragon spacecraft.

"It is not just the start of my journey to ISS but also of India's human spaceflight. I want each one of you to be part of this journey, let us embark on India's human space programme together. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat," he said.

Shukla’s journey comes 41 years after Rakesh Sharma spent eight days in orbit as part of the then-Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station mission in 1984. Shukla’s message from space echoes memories of Sharma’s famous exchange with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who had asked him how India looked from space. Sharma had famously replied, "Saare jahan se achha".

Earlier today, in a special message ahead of the launch, Rakesh Sharma wished the crew all the best. "Have a fun time, guys. Spend as much time as possible looking out of the window," Sharma said in a video shared by Axiom Space.

The targeted docking time is approximately 4:30 pm IST on Thursday, June 26, NASA said in a statement.