Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), said that it is a privilege to see Earth from a unique vantage point. Reflecting on his experience in orbit, the Indian astronaut said, "It is a privilege to be amongst the few who have got the chance to see the Earth from a vantage point that I have been able to see now. It has been a wonderful ride." Shukla's remarks came as Axiom Space released a video on its X handle, highlighting the significance of the mission and how it was expanding access to low Earth orbit (LEO) for countries to achieve their space exploration goals, leading to advancements for Earth. "Hear from the #Ax4 astronauts about the significance of the mission and how we are expanding access to LEO for countries to pursue their space exploration goals, leading to advancements #ForEarth. We are building era-defining space infrastructure that drives exploration and fuels a vibrant space economy for the benefit of every human everywhere," Axiom Space said in a post on X. Hear from the #Ax4 astronauts about the significance of the mission and how we are expanding access to LEO for countries to pursue their space exploration goals, leading to advancements #ForEarth. We are building era-defining space infrastructure that drives exploration and fuels… pic.twitter.com/p6rdxMqnc9 — Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) July 7, 2025 'The most difficult task is to go to sleep,' says Shukla Continuing his outreach from space, Shukla, on Friday (July 4), interacted with Indian students via ham radio and said that the most difficult task was to fall asleep because of the excitement of conducting more experiments. "I am doing a lot of experiments and these are challenging and exciting. All of these experiments have been planned by ISRO-NASA. But there are a few that I particularly like, especially the one on stem cells. We know there is limited time (onboard the ISS) but we want to do more and more (experiments). But we need to get rest to do the experiments," he said. Shukla was live on ham radio for less than ten minutes when the ISS was passing close to the horizon around 3.47 pm on Friday (July 4). He also offered insights into international collaboration and how it was crucial for the success of such missions. "I think international collaboration is the key for the success of a mission to the ISS and space. Even for our mission, Axiom-4, ISRO, NASA and ESA. everyone came together to make this mission happen. I have realised the power of global collaboration. Working with many people of different nationalities is an entirely exciting experience. So definitely, global collaboration is the key, and I look forward to more such missions," he said. Shukla will make the second and final communication using ham radio at 2.08 pm on July 8 with the Human Spaceflight Center at the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) in Meghalaya before his journey back to earth. The crew, comprising Pilot Shukla, Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kamu, lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 25 and is scheduled to return to earth on July 10.
