Shubhanshu Shukla’s Space Shoutout: ‘Namaskar’ Message from 400 Km Above Earth on Day 2 of Mission
Namaskar from space!” — Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla sends a historic message to Earth just before docking with the ISS on Day 2 of his mission. Watch the inspiring moment from 400 km above Earth
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla sent out his first message from space onboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, saying he is learning to do things in orbit like a baby.
The message comes hours before the scheduled docking of the spacecraft carrying Shukla and three other astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The docking of the Axiom Mission 4 crew is expected around 4:30 PM IST.
Hello everyone, Namaskar from Space,” Group Captain Shukla said during a SpaceX live stream.
Shukla said that he was thrilled to be in space along with the rest of the crew and called the ride to orbit ‘amazing’.
“Since yesterday, I’ve been told that I’m sleeping a lot, which is a good sign. I’m getting used to this quite well, enjoying the views, enjoying the entire experience. Learning like a baby… how to walk and eat in space…. It’s good to make mistakes, but it is better to see someone else do that too,” he added.
Shubhanshu Shukla called his mission in space a small but solid step for India.
“This is a small step, but steady and solid step towards India’s human space programme,” he said.
The 39-year-old, Lucknow-born Shubhanshu Shukla became only the second Indian astronaut to undertake a space flight, 41 years after his icon Rakesh Sharma’s eight-day space odyssey on board the then Soviet Union’s Salyut-7 space station in 1984.
After multiple delays, Elon Musk’s SpaceX launch vehicle with Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon-9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 PM(IST) carrying mission pilot Shukla, a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force(IAF), former NASA astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland.
Congratulations poured in from all quarters as the Ax-4 mission astronauts entered Earth’s orbit. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, among others, hailed the space mission.
On June 25, 2025 at 12:01 pm IST, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla—a seasoned Indian Air Force test pilot—launched aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon “Grace” as part of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4), marking a monumental moment for India. He became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS) in nearly 40 years—since Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 flight 🚀
During mission Day 2, Shukla dialed in from orbit and tendered a heartfelt “Namaskar from space!” to Earth—an emotional salute symbolizing India’s leap back into human space exploration from 400 km above its surface. The message resonated across social and traditional media, stirring national pride worldwide.
Cameras aboard Dragon captured this moment, and within hours it was trending across news portals and social feeds. It wasn’t just a greeting—it was a declaration of a new era.
Peggy Whitson (U.S.) – veteran astronaut and mission commander
Slawosz Uznański (Poland) – radiation scientist, Poland’s first-ever ISS astronaut
Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – mechanical engineer, Hungary’s first on ISS
Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – mission pilot, first Indian to ISS in 41 years
Launched on a NASA–Axiom–SpaceX commercial run, this mission is set for a 14-day microgravity research program, including diabetes-related studies and 60 experiments from 31 countries
Born October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, he graduated from City Montessori School and the National Defence Academy (2005
Commissioned into the IAF fighter stream on June 17, 2006, and promoted to Group Captain in March 2024, he logged over 2,000 flight hours on aircraft including the Su‑30 MKI, MiG‑21, MiG‑29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An‑32
Selected for ISRO’s astronaut cadre in 2019, he trained at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Center (2020–21), followed by advanced training at Bengaluru’s Astronaut Training Facility
Later became the prime pilot for Ax‑4, while preparation continued in the U.S. (NASA, ESA, JAXA, Axiom spacecraft systems)
Shukla’s Ax‑4 mission complements India’s Gaganyaan programme, as he will captain Gaganyaan‑4, a fully indigenous crewed mission slated for early 2027
He will carry out seven ISRO-led experiments aboard ISS, spanning microgravity impacts on microalgae, muscle atrophy, and crop resilience, assisting long-term strategic research
Ax‑4 represents a unique commercial space partnership among ISRO, NASA, and Axiom Space, showing how private and public sectors can share resources
Success of this mission underscores the potential of commercialized orbital flights to expand access to space, especially as the ISS nears planned retirement by 2031
Over the 14-day mission, the crew will dock with the ISS, deploy science payloads like continuous glucose monitors to study diabetes in low gravity, and test equipment for microalgae cultivation
Shukla will conduct live broadcasts to India, narrating his experiences and reinforcing educational outreach.
Upon return, he’ll undergo debrief with ISRO, Axiom, and NASA, refining procedures for human spaceflight safety.
His learnings will feed directly into Gaganyaan‑4, an Indian-led mission carrying crew aboard an indigenous Gaganyaan craft in 2027
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath congratulated him as a symbol of national pride
His alma mater, NDA and CMS, along with family members, voiced deep pride—his father describing him as “cool-minded and resolute
Ahead of launch, Shukla shared an emotional post thanking his wife Kamna and mother Asha, capturing hearts nationwide
The moment exemplified the balance of professional excellence and personal humility, connecting global audiences.
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