Whole nation excited, proud of Indian's journey to the stars: President Murmu on Axiom-4 mission

New Delhi | President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said the whole nation is excited and proud of Indian astronaut Subhanshu Shukla's journey to the stars, as part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station.

The wide-ranging experiments to be performed by the crew will lead to new frontiers of scientific studies and space exploration, the president said.

"As Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla creates a new milestone in space for India, the whole nation is excited and proud of an Indian's journey into the stars. He and his fellow astronauts of Axiom Mission 4 from the US, Poland and Hungary prove the world is indeed one family – ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'," the president said in a post on X.

"My best wishes for the success of this mission, which reflects the enduring partnership between NASA and ISRO. The wide-ranging experiments to be performed by the crew will lead to new frontiers of scientific studies and space exploration," Murmu said.

Shukla scripted history by embarking on a space odyssey along with three others to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space on Wednesday.

The much-delayed Axiom-4 mission blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA at 12:01 pm Indian Standard Time (IST) towards the ISS amid cheers from watch parties organised across the world, including at Shukla's City Montessori School in Lucknow where his parents witnessed the historic launch.