On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Captain Shuvansh Shukla, the first Indian to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS). The Axiom-4 mission docked the ISS on June 26 with group captain Shukla and three other crew members.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with group captain Shuvansh Shukra, who is on the International Space Station,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in the post of group captain Shukra, who serves as mission pilot, that he would become the second Indian to travel into space and would first step into the ISS.
PM @narendramodi We interacted with group captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is on the International Space Station. pic.twitter.com/q37hqvuwcd
– PMO India (@pmoindia) June 28, 2025
Read again: Axiom-4 Mission: Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla puts Earth in orbit and docks it to space station today
“The Wish of 1.4 billion Indians”
Previously following the successful launch of the Axiom-4 mission, Prime Minister Modi welcomed the milestone and said, “We welcome the success of the space mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and the US. All other astronauts will succeed!”
Group captain Shukla echoed the mission with emotion, explaining the launch as “magical” and said, “I’m excited to be here with my fellow astronauts – what a ride I got. Honestly, I was sitting on the launchpad after 30 days of quarantine yesterday, so I thought everything. In a vacuum, it’s magic.”
Docking and warm welcome on ISS
The Dragon’s spacecraft carrying the AX-4 crew was docked into the Harmony Module’s space-facing port at 4:05pm earlier than planned. The crew were warmly welcomed by a 73-person expedition team, starting with a safety briefing.
The AX-4 team includes former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson (Mission Commander), captain Shuvanshushukra of the island’s astronaut group, Fesa astronaut Slouzunanski Whisniewski and Hungary’s Tibor Kapoo.
After reaching the ISS, group captain Shukla said, “To be fair, it’s a privilege to be among the few who had the opportunity to see the Earth from a vantage point I could now see. It was a great ride. I was looking forward to it. We, it was beyond what I had, so this was great.
“The tricholla on my shoulder feels like the whole country is with me.”
Shukla said of his pride and emotional connection to India’s mission, “There is a small message to my fellow countrymen. It’s for your love and blessing. It’s that your love and blessing has reached the International Space Station safely. Standing here isn’t easy, but my head may not hurt. But we get used to it. Everyone will join with interest.”
“The shoulder-bearing tricolor makes the whole country feel like I’m with me. I think the next 14 days will be really interesting,” he added.
What’s next for Shukra and the AX-4 team?
Astronauts will spend two weeks on the ISS and engage in scientific experiments, educational outreach and commercial activities. Group Captain Shukla will lead several experiments as part of India’s collaboration in Axiom Mission 4.
