New Delhi [India], June 25 (ANI): 'Proud moment for India,' said legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, hailing Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who has become only the second Indian to travel to space, 41 years after Rakesh Sharma's historic mission.

Shukla (39) is piloting the SpaceX Dragon aircraft launched for the much-anticipated Axiom 4 mission to go to the International Space Station. launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida today.

Tendulkar posted on X handle, 'What a proud moment for India, the @IAF_MCC & @isro. We should ensure every child across every corner of India gets to see this video and witness Group Captain Shukla and the crew's journey. There's nothing more powerful than inspiration to spark the imagination of young minds. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat! #AxiomMission4.'

https://x.com/sachin_rt/status/1937791142944501836

The Axiom Mission 4 is the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The crew is travelling to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The targeted docking time is approximately 7 am Eastern Time (4 pm IST) on Thursday, June 26.

Once docked, the astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, is in command of the mission, while Indian Space Research Organisation Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla serves as pilot. The two mission specialists are European Space Agency project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

The astronauts are using the new Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit, which provides them with advanced capabilities for space exploration while providing NASA with commercially developed human systems needed to access, live and work on and around the Moon. The advanced spacesuits ensure astronauts are equipped with high-performing, robust equipment and are designed to accommodate a wide range of crew members.

The Ax-4 mission is going to conduct major research. The research complement includes around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the US, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and nations across Europe.

This will be the most research and science-related activities conducted on an Axiom Space mission aboard the International Space Station to date. NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) are collaborating to launch several scientific investigations.

These studies include examining muscle regeneration, growth of sprouts and edible microalgae, survival of tiny aquatic organisms, and human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity.

The first private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. The second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2, also was commanded by Whitson and launched in May 2023 with four private astronauts who spent eight days in orbit. The most recent private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; the crew spent 18 days docked to the space station.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods. (ANI)