Shubhanshu Shukla: ‘Tiranga Embossed on Shoulder, I Represent 140Cr Indians,’ Special Message From Top After Successful Ax-4 Mission Launch

"Tiranga is carved into my heart and shoulders." The pride of Uttar Pradesh, Shubhanshu Shukla, said, "I represent 140 crore Indians." He is about to fly into space as part of the prestigious Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS). His trip is a turning point not only for India but also for ISRO and the ways it works with other countries.

First words spoken by our very own Shubhanshu Shukla from space!! ✨️

🗣 " 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘢𝘳, 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘺𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘷𝘢𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘺𝘰.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦!
41 𝘴𝘢𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘩𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘢𝘺𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘢𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘭… pic.twitter.com/MKNkOJ5h76

— ISRO Spaceflight (@ISROSpaceflight) June 25, 2025

Shubhanshu was born and raised in Lucknow, India. His goals were woven in the middle of the country, but he reached the stars. Shukla is now an astronaut with NASA and Axiom Space. His trip will be a big step forward for India's role in the world of space. According to the mission profile, Ax-4 is a commercial space project for people that encourages countries to work together on science, exploration, and technology in low Earth orbit.

Parents Are Excited to See History

Sad and proud, Shubhanshu's parents told everyone about his childhood dreams of going to space. His mother was very proud of him. "He would look up at the stars and say, 'One day, I'll be there,'" she said. His dad said, "He has made our state and country proud." It's an important time in Indian history.

Mission Axiom-4: What's Different?

The Axiom-4 mission will take off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Shukla will be one of only a few Indians to go to the ISS as part of a global team effort. This is the fourth trip for people into space by Axiom Space, a private company that is paving the way for commercial space flights.

Shukla's addition to the team shows how much trust and respect India's scientists have gained around the world. The mission will not only help with space research, but it will also show how India is becoming a leader in the area of astronautics.

Shrikant Shukla is more than just an astronaut; he is a sign of India's growing role in space science. Before being chosen to train to be an astronaut, he worked on a number of important ISRO projects. As a member of a foreign crew, he will now do scientific experiments on the ISS and help educate and inspire young people.