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In a historic achievement for India, Shubanshu Shukla, captain of the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), entered the international space station after successfully docing the dragon spacecraft under a private spacecraft.
The Dragon spacecraft was autonomous at the IST at around 4 pm on Thursday before its schedule. This is the first time in more than 40 years when astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary arrived at the international space station.
NASA said in a post on X, “Dragon Spacecraft docked @Space_Station at 6:31 AM ET (1031 UTC).”
The crew members entered the ISS at around 6:10 pm.
A spacecraft named Grace acquired a soft capture with the space station on IST at 4:01 pm above the North Atlantic Ocean. The docking sequence was completed at IST at 4:15 pm.
This is the first time an Indian has reached the international space station.
Along with Sukhanshu Shukla, former NASA astronaut Paigi Whitson, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Slavose Slavose Uznanski-Vijnivski and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu were also part of the team that was docked in the ISS.
NASA flight engineers Anne McClane and Nicole Aires monitored the automatic approach and docking exercise of the dragon. After the delay, Darking comes 28 hours after the dragon spacecraft is successfully launched.
The seven-member campaign 73 team will welcome the AX-4 team riding at the ISS and will give them a security briefing.
Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh congratulated Shukla on a successful docking.
He said, “Congratulations #axiom4! Docking completed. Shubhanshu stands at the threshold entrance of the international space station #ISS … waiting for 14 days … as the world looks with enthusiasm and expectation,” he said.
Earlier, in a live interaction aboard the spacecraft, Group captain Shubhinu Shukla, serving as a mission pilot, described the launch as “magical” and reflected on his journey.
“I am thrilled to come here with my fellow astronauts-what is a ride. Honestly, as I was sitting in a capsule ‘Grace’ on the launchpad yesterday, after 30 days of quarantine, I could think that I could think: Just go. Just when the launch happened, it was completely something else.
He thanked the mission team, called experience “collective achievement”.
He said, “I really appreciate every person’s efforts who have made this journey possible. It is not just a personal achievement-it is for all of us,” he said.
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