Shubhanshu Shukla To Lift Off To ISS Today

New Delhi : Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to undertake the “journey to inspire an entire generation for space” and become the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday.

After being delayed twice, the US-based Axiom Space is scheduled to launch its Mission-4 (Ax-4), carrying Shukla, along with three others from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on June 10 at 8:22 a.m. ET (5:52 pm IST).

While Shukla will become the first Indian on ISS, he will be the second to go to space, after Rakesh Sharma flew to space station Salyut 7 in 1984.

During a recent press conference, Shukla stated that “he is extremely confident of success during Mission-4".

Speaking to IANS in March, Shukla said he hopes to use his “journey to inspire this entire generation to pursue their careers in the field of space”, as he “was extremely inspired and motivated”, by Rakesh Sharma.

Shukla will pilot the mission along with Commander Peggy Whitson, from the US. Other crew members include mission specialist Sławosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and mission specialist Tibor Kapu (Hungary).

Once aboard the ISS, IAF Group Captain Shukla is expected to conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments.

The experiment will examine the impact of microgravity and space radiation on edible microalgae -- a high-potential, nutrient-rich food source.