- Shubhanshu Shukla chose AR Rahman's Yun Hi Chala Chal as his launch anthem
- Ax-4 crew shared a launch-day playlist with four songs from each astronaut
- Mr Shukla is the second Indian on a commercial space mission and first on the ISS
When Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla soared into space aboard the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), he took a piece of India with him. Not only in spirit but in song.
Composer AR Rahman's iconic track Yun Hi Chala Chal from the 2004 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Swades was Mr Shukla's chosen anthem for launch day.
The song, with its message of perseverance and moving forward, couldn't have been a more fitting companion as Mr Shukla lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday. It was part of a special launch-day playlist, personally curated by the Ax-4 crew, and shared by Axiom Space on X with the caption, "Pass the Aux! The #Ax4 crew share their launch-day playlist."
Mr Shukla's pick was one of four tracks selected by each astronaut on the Ax-4 mission:
- Commander Peggy Whitson (USA) - Thunder by Imagine Dragons.
- Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) - Supermonce, a Polish track.
- Tibor Kapu (Hungary) - Bvhely, a traditional Hungarian song.
The Axiom 4 mission, operated by Houston-based Axiom Space, is part of a growing number of private missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Mr Shukla is now the second Indian astronaut to reach space as part of a commercial space mission and the first one aboard the ISS.
Shortly after entering orbit, Shubhanshu Shukla addressed his fellow countrymen with an emotional video message, "Namaskar, my dear countrymen! What a ride! We are back in space after 41 years. We're orbiting Earth at 7.5 km per second. The Tiranga on my shoulder reminds me that I carry all of you with me."
The Ax-4 crew launched aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon, which was set to autonomously dock with the ISS after a 28-hour flight, cruising at an altitude of around 400 km above Earth. Upon arrival, the crew is expected to be greeted by the current station residents: three American astronauts, one Japanese astronaut, and three Russian cosmonauts.
