Cape Canaveral, Florida, June 9: Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Sunday said he felt “extremely fortunate” to be part of a mission “much larger than yourself” as the Axiom-4 crew completed their final launch rehearsal ahead of their upcoming flight to the International Space Station (ISS).
Shukla, a test pilot-turned-astronaut, is set to become the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma’s landmark flight in 1984. He will join a four-member international crew for a 14-day scientific mission aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Tuesday, June 10, at 5:54 pm IST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
“It has been an amazing journey. These are the moments that really tell you that you are getting to be a part of something that is much larger than yourself,” Shukla said in a video released by Axiom Space. “I can only say how extremely fortunate I am.”
The Axiom-4 crew, led by veteran U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, completed a full-scale dress rehearsal of launch day operations, donning their flight suits, departing the assembly building, and boarding the Dragon capsule. The flight will be the capsule’s maiden voyage, while the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage booster will be reused after a previous Starlink mission. A landing at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1 is planned post-stage separation.
During their stay on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct over 60 experiments in areas including human research, Earth observation, and life sciences.
Shukla, known by his nickname “Shux,” hails from Lucknow and is a graduate of the National Defence Academy. His participation in the mission is widely seen as a prelude to India’s upcoming human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan.
Back home, Shukla’s wife, Kamna, shared personal insights into the family’s journey. “He’s not just reaching for the stars; he’s inspiring so many of us back home,” she said in an interview, adding that the decision to embrace excitement over anxiety has helped them cope with the rigours of spaceflight preparation.
Kamna, who has known Shukla since primary school, called him “the bravest person I know” and described him as a man of quiet resolve and discipline. “There’s a never-say-never attitude in him that’s very special… He only sees the target,” she said, referencing the Indian epic Mahabharata’s Arjuna.
Their six-year-old son Sid, still too young to grasp the gravity of the mission, is excited by the rockets but is reportedly most fond of the deer he saw in NASA’s park. “He thinks everyone’s father is an astronaut,” Kamna added.
The Axiom-4 mission, a private commercial spaceflight organized in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX, includes astronauts from India, the U.S., Poland, and Hungary. It marks the first international crewed mission for a new Dragon capsule and is expected to contribute data and experience for future missions, including India’s own space ambitions.
“We’re filled with gratitude,” Kamna said ahead of the launch. “We’ll take it as it comes.”
