Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday hailed the successful launch of the Axiom Mission 4, calling it the beginning of India’s ascent toward becoming a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India)—with space as the launchpad.
Addressing reporters after the liftoff of the private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), Singh praised Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is piloting the historic mission.
“India’s ascent to the pedestal of Viksit Bharat has started via space. Shubhanshu Shukla is possibly the most crucial member of this mission as he performs seven crucial experiments designed by Indian institutes. These will be of vital importance to all agencies across the world,” Singh said.
The Union Minister also paid tribute to Indian space pioneers Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan, calling the Axiom-4 mission a “vindication” of their legacy.
“It is indeed the vindication of the founding fathers of India’s space program… and it is fitting that this vindication happens under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Singh added.
He celebrated the occasion by distributing sweets to dignitaries including Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green and South Australia’s Governor Frances Adamson AC at Anusandhan Bhawan in Delhi.
Axiom-4, launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre at 2:31 am EDT (12 Noon IST), marks the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. The crew includes:
- Peggy Whitson, mission commander and former NASA astronaut
- Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, pilot and ISRO astronaut
- Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), mission specialists
The astronauts will spend up to 14 days aboard the ISS, conducting 60 scientific experiments from 31 countries, including multiple collaborative projects between NASA and ISRO. These include studies on muscle regeneration, edible algae, aquatic organism survival, and human-computer interaction in microgravity.
This is the most research-intensive Axiom mission to date, underlining India’s growing presence in global space exploration and the nation’s commitment to innovation on its path to becoming a developed nation.
