'Namaskar, From Space': Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Shares New Message From Space A Day After Axiom-4 Launch (VIDEO)

A day after the Axiom Mission-4 was successfully launched, Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla shared a new message from space. He greeted his fellow countrymen with "Namaskar". Grp Cpt Shukla said that it was an amazing ride and also called his journey an amazing ride.

"Namaskar, from space. I am thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts," the Indian Air Force (IAF) officer said.

"What I ride it was. After 30 days of quarantine, I just wanted to go (to the ISS). It was an amazing ride," he added.

"It was an amazing feeling. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of this. I understand that this is not a personal accomplishment. It is a collective achievement of each and every one of you who has been a part of this journey. And to make this possible, I really want to thank each one of you. Also to family and friends, you know, your support has mattered so much," he added.

It was Shukla's second message from space. In his first message from space, Grp Cpt Shukla had said, "Namaskar Mere Pyare Deshwasiyon. Kaafi Saal Baad Hum Phir Wapas Antariksh Mein Pohonch Gaye Hain. Kamaal Ki Ride Thi. Mere saath Mere Kande Pe Tiranga Hai (Namaskar, my beloved countrymen. After so many years we reached space. It was a very exciting ride. Tircolour is with me on my shoulder)."

He finished his message with "Jai Hind, Jai Bharat".

Shukla has become the first Indian to travel to space in 41 years as Axiom Mission-4's Dragon spacecraft successfully lifted off from Florida on Wednesday. He is also the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS).

On April 3, 1984, Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma scripted history by becoming the first Indian to reach outer space. Sharma's eight days in orbit was part of the then Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station.

About The Mission:

After multiple delays, the Axiom-4 mission was successfully launched on Wednesday. The Axiom-4 mission's SpaceX Dragon spacecraft lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission is organised by NASA and Axiom Space, and the four member crew, including Grp Capt Shukla, marks a major step forward in commercial and global space exploration.

Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot.

The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

The spacecraft will be docked at the ISS at 4:30 pm (IST) on Thursday.

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