"Tiranga Yaad Dila Raha Ki...": Shubhanshu Shukla's Hindi Message From Space

Hours before docking at the International Space Station (ISS), Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla sent an emotional message to his fellow Indians, urging them to be part of his space journey and take pride in India's achievements. In a message in Hindi--his mother tongue-- Shukla said his participation in SpaceX's Axiom 4 mission is a "solid and steady" step in the direction where India's human space programme is going with ISRO's Gaganyaan mission. 

An Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist, Shukla, is part of a four-member commercial mission by Axiom Space. The Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday. 

"Iss samay main space main bahoot hi zayada utsahit aur proud feel kar raha hun. Jab ham launch kar rahe the to Tiranga mere spacesuit ke shoulder pe tha, jo mujhe ye yaad dila raha tha ki main ye jouney akele nahi undertake kar raha balkil app sab mere saath hain (I am feeling very excited and round in the space right now. When we were being launched, the tricolour (Indian flag) on my spacesuit's shoulder was reminding me that I was not undertaking this journey alone, but you all are with me)," Shukla said from the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule--riding atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

Shukla, along with his crew members--mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary; and commander Peggy Whitson of the United States-- is set to dock at ISS at 4:30 pm on Thursday. 

"Ye ISS tak jane ke liye meri journey ki shuruaat hai. Abhi ham log kuch hi ghanto main International Space Station pe dock karenge aur fir ham wahanpe jake rahenge. Ye ek solid and stady step hai uss direction main jiss taraf ham ja rahe hain Gaganyaan jaise missions ko lele. (This is the beginning of my journey to ISS. We will dock at the International Space Station in a few hours and then stay there. This is a solid and steady step towards the direction we are joining with missions like Gaganyaan)," he said. 

The Indian astronaut urged Indians to be part of his journey and feel the pride that's in his heart. 

"Ye sab sirf hamare technical accomplishment ko nahi darshata hai, bakli ye hamare hopes and hamare ambitions and aspiration ko darshata hai ki ham kiss taraf jana chahate hain (this journey not just represents our technical accomplishment, but it's also a representation of India's ambitions and aspirations)," he said. 

He added that during his 14-day stay at ISS, he would not only fulfil his tasks there, but also document his journey in videos and photos to share it with the world. 

"Main chahata hun ki aap mere through ye journey experience karen aur iska hissa bane (I want you to experience this journey through me)," he said. 

With this flight, Shukla became only the second Indian citizen in space and the first to reach the International Space Station, orbiting Earth at 7.5 kilometres per second. The last Indian in space, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, flew as part of a joint Indo-Soviet mission in April 1984.

ISRO sees this flight as a key stepping stone toward its own maiden crewed mission, planned for 2027 under the Gaganyaan program, meaning "sky craft."