Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Thursday (June 26, 2025) stated he was studying to reside in microgravity circumstances “like a baby” and it was a tremendous expertise to drift in vacuum because the Dragon spacecraft circled the Earth in its journey to dock on the International Space Station.
Before reaching worldwide area station, astronaut Shukla greeted the individuals with ‘Namaskar from space’ from Dragon spacecraft.
Sharing his expertise through a videolink from the spacecraft, Shukla stated after remaining in quarantine for 30 days, the place he was distant from all the joy, forward of the launch of the Axiom-4 mission on Wednesday, “the only thought in my mind was to let us just go”.
Shukla and three different astronauts lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on board the Dragon spacecraft, powered by the Falcon-9 rocket for a 14-day keep on the International Space Station (ISS).
The astronauts, a part of the Axiom-4 business mission, are anticipated to dock on the ISS at 4:30 pm on Thursday.
“Wow, what a ride it was. Frankly, when I was sitting in the capsule Grace, yesterday on the launchpad, the only thought in my mind was let’s just go. After 30 days of quarantine, it was a feeling that I just wanted to go. Excitement and all was very far away. There was just this feeling that let us just leave,” Shukla stated.
The new Dragon spacecraft of SpaceX has been named Grace by the astronauts.
He additionally launched ‘Joy’, a toy swan that’s the zero gravity indicator, and the fifth “crew member” on the Axiom-4 mission.
Sharing his expertise of encountering the gravitational power through the launch, Shukla stated he felt like being pushed again in his seat.
“But when the ride started, it was something. You were getting pushed back in the seat. It was an amazing ride and then suddenly nothing. Everything was silent and you were just floating. You were unbuckled and just floating in the silence of vacuum,” he stated.
Shukla stated the primary few moments after they bought shot into the vacuum didn’t really feel that nice, however quickly it was “an amazing feeling”.
He added that his fellow astronauts have informed him that he has been sleeping lots for the reason that launch on Wednesday.
“I am getting used to it quite well. I am enjoying the views, enjoying the experience and learning like a baby. Learning the new steps, learning how to walk, learning how to control yourself, learning how to eat. It’s just so exciting,” Shukla stated.
“It is a new environment, a new challenge and I am really enjoying this experience with my fellow astronauts here. It is good to make mistakes, but it is better to see somebody else do that too. So it has been a fun time,” Shukla stated.
