Axiom 4 Space Mission: As the Axiom-4 mission lifted off to the International Space Station, Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla made history as the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS. The mission, which includes three other astronauts, launched at 12.01 PM IST on Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Before leaving for his space mission, Shukla expressed his gratitude, especially towards those who made the mission possible, and to his wife, Kamna, on Instagram. “As we plan to leave the planet early morning of 25 Jun, I wish to thank everyone who has been involved in this mission for their support and also to all the people back home for their blessings and love,” he wrote. But it was his message for his wife that touched hearts across the Internet. “Special thanks to Kamna for being the wonderful partner that you are. Without you, none of this was possible but more importantly none of this would matter,” he wrote. "No one travels to space alone.. we do so on the shoulders of so many more. I feel grateful to each and every one of you. THANK YOU," Shukla said in the post. Alongside the note, Shukla posted a photograph showing him and Kamna saying goodbye on opposite sides of a glass wall. See the post here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shubhanshu Shukla (@gagan.shux) Who is Shubhanshu Shukla? An accomplished Indian Air Force officer and astronaut, Subhanshu Shukla hails from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He graduated from the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune and joined the IAF’s fighter stream in June 2006. In March 2024, he was promoted to the rank of Group Captain. Throughout his flying career, Shukla has logged more than 2,000 flight hours, operating a range of aircraft including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32. His career in astronomy began in 2019, when he was selected by ISRO for astronaut training. He later trained at the renowned Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow. In February 2024, he was officially announced as the key astronaut for Gaganyaan, which is India’s first human spaceflight mission set to launch in 2026.
