'Wait for Me, I'm Coming': Shubhanshu Shukla Assured His Parents Before Axiom 4 Liftoff

Shubhanshu Shukla forayed into space on board a SpaceX craft as part of the Axiom 4 mission on a Wednesday afternoon, emerging as the first Indian to launch out of Earth in 40 years. He is joined by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson from the US as the commander, Polish engineer Sławosz Uznański, and Hungarian researcher Tibor Kapu. While the spacecraft is now en route to the International Space Station, Shukla's parting message to his family pins hope for India's successful footprint in space.

“Just wait for me, I'm coming,” the Lucknow-born astronaut told his family in a message before the liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Shukla, 39, is aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, serving as the pilot of the Axiom Mission (Ax-4), a private crewed spacecraft that Axiom Space, a venture between SpaceX and NASA, operates.

What is Axiom-4 mission?

The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) is a crewed spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) operated by Axiom Space, which is a company born out of the partnership between SpaceX and NASA. The mission uses a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket to lift a crew called Crew Dragon Grace into low Earth orbit (LEO). The one with Shubhanshu Shukla and three others is Axiom's maiden flight of the C213 spacecraft, and the fifth and final Crew Dragon to be built.

The liftoff was originally planned for June 11, but it was scrubbed due to a liquid oxygen leak. However, it was postponed until June 25, Wednesday.

How important is the Axiom-4 mission for India's space pursuits?

Shukla's launch into space is the first opportunity for an Indian astronaut to be a part of an international space mission, the experience of which could help the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with its planned crewed mission, Gaganyaan. The experiments conducted as part of the Axiom-4 mission will also provide key information to ISRO, including cognitive effects of screen use, microbial adaptation, muscle atrophy, and crop resilience in microgravity.

Read more: Axiom-4 Mission Successfully Launched: India Back in Space! Shubhanshu Shukla’s Historic Launch Breaks 40-Year Silence