Shubhanshu Shukla’s Message From Space: ‘Have Been Sleeping A Lot’

After marking a historic return to space after more than four decades, Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla sent a message from space, saying he has been sleeping a lot. “I wasn’t feeling very great when we got shot in the vacuum, I have been sleeping a lot,” he said.

Shukla began his journey to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), India’s first human spaceflight since Rakesh Sharma’s mission in 1984, on Wednesday.

The SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket, topped with the Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 pm IST, carrying a four-member international crew. Alongside Shukla were mission commander and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Tibor Kapu (Hungary) and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland).

‘Kamaal Ki Ride Thi’: Shukla After Liftoff

Ten minutes after entering Earth’s orbit, a visibly elated Shukla radioed from space, describing the launch as a “Kamaal ki ride (an amazing ride).” Cameras inside the capsule showed all four astronauts calmly strapped into their seats, donning sleek white-and-black flight suits and helmets.

Shukla, 39, and born in Lucknow, becomes only the second Indian astronaut in history to venture into space, 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s historic 1984 mission aboard the Soviet Salyut-7 space station.

In a message from orbit, Shukla declared, “We are orbiting Earth at 7.5 km per second… This is not just the beginning of my journey, but India’s human space programme. I want every Indian to feel a part of it.”

The crew is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Thursday at 4:30 pm IST, completing a 28-hour journey.

Watch parties across India erupted in joy, with Shukla’s family and countless well-wishers cheering the liftoff. Leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, hailed the mission as a proud moment for the nation.