Indian Astronaut's Milestone Journey to the ISS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extolled the successful launch of the Axiom 4 mission, marking a significant achievement for India in space exploration. The mission, which includes astronauts from Hungary, Poland, and the United States, is historic as it features Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is set to become the first Indian to reach the International Space Station.

In a public statement on social media platform 'X', PM Modi emphasized that Shukla will carry with him the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. Union Minister Jitendra Singh also lauded this achievement, noting that India's journey to a developed status begins with such pioneering efforts in space.

Meanwhile, the Axiom 4 mission took off aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Union Minister Singh praised the vision of Indian space pioneers Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan, stating that the educational experiments Shukla will conduct hold significant promise for India's scientific community.

(With inputs from agencies.)