Meanwhile, Musk said some parts of the ISS were "simply getting too old and obviously that risk grows over time."
Following the postponement of the Axiom 4 mission, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, said that his family is 'mentally' prepared for the mission.
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returns to Earth after an 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station, marking a significant milestone for India's space program and carrying out crucial scientific experiments.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut at the International Space Station (ISS), conducted a critical biomedical experiment aboard the ISS on flight day 6 of the Axiom 4 Mission, focusing on how microgravity contributes to muscle loss.
The mission was originally scheduled for lift-off on May 29 but was put off multiple times when engineers detected a liquid oxygen leak in the boosters of the Falcon-9 rocket and NASA also detected leaks in the ageing Russian module of the ISS.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the Indian astronaut who along with three others returned recently from a successful space mission, is in Houston in the United States, as he readjusts to life on Earth, his father said on Thursday.
The Sneham actor also shared a photograph of her and Nair posing with the ISRO chairman S Somanath.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla conducts experiments on the International Space Station, focusing on seed germination, microalgae deployment, and stem cell research in microgravity.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station has been postponed to June 22, to allow National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to evaluate the operations on the orbital lab after the recent repairs in the Russian section, Axiom Space announced on Wednesday.
If Rakesh Sharma represented the dreams of a nascent India looking outward, Shubhanshu Shukla embodies a confident India reaching for the controls.
Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, piloted by Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla with three other crew members, has been delayed and will now be launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 8 at 6:41 pm IST.
The celebrations are set to continue through the day. CMS also arranged a live AXIOM mission broadcast, a replica of the ISS Cupola module, a "Defy Gravity" photo booth, telescope viewings, and a simulated Mission Control Centre.
IAF's four fighter pilots undergoing rigorous training for the landmark Gaganyaan mission, and who earned the 'astronaut wings' on Tuesday, have a stellar resume. They have a flying experience in the range of nearly 2,000-3,000 hours and two of them are recipients of the prestigious 'Sword of Honour'.
The mission has been delayed for several years because of setbacks in the spacecraft's development.
Lucknow celebrated the successful return of astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from the International Space Station (ISS). Family, friends, and the community rejoiced as Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, made a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others are expected to travel to the International Space Station on June 19, after SpaceX successfully resolved the liquid oxygen leak in its Falcon-9 rocket, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Saturday.
Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station, received a hero's welcome in his hometown of Lucknow. Celebrations included family, supporters, a roadshow, and recognition from government officials.
The four astronauts are -- Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Prathap, Ajit Krishnan, and Shubhanshu Shukla -- Modi said at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba near the Kerala state capital.
Shukla and three other crew members of the Axiom-4 mission are set to return to Earth from the International Space Station on July 14.
Amit Kshatriya, a decorated Indian-American and NASA veteran, has been appointed as NASA's new associate administrator, marking a significant step in the agency's exploration efforts.
Special prayers were offered in Lucknow on Tuesday for the success of the thrice-postponed lift-off of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, on board SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket, that would propel him into history as the first Indian to step onto the International Space Station.
Shubhanshu Shukla's first seven days in space have combined science, ceremony, and moments of levity.
Training modules also cover academic courses, Gaganyaan flight systems, nicro-gravity familiarisation through parabolic flights, recovery training, mastering of flight procedures and training on crew training simulators, according to ISRO sources.
'As humans, we haven't changed much'
The family of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla in Lucknow is eagerly awaiting his safe return from the International Space Station after his 18-day mission. They express immense pride and emotion, sharing details of their conversations and the sights he showed them from space.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi took to his Twitter to post a few pictures of Cyclone Biparjoy over the Arabian Sea.
"Once the astronaut returns to Earth, they are immediately forced to readjust again, back to Earth's gravity, and can experience issues standing, stabilising their gaze, walking and turning. For their safety, returning astronauts are often placed in a chair immediately upon return to Earth," the Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine said in a note on body changes in space.
On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla scripted history by embarking on a space odyssey along with three others to the International Space Station.
The three astronaut crew were carried to China's Tiangong space station and will replace a similar crew that have been in space for the last six months.
The White House accredited this feat to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk for their efforts
'You can imagine for India what Shuks means not just to the billions of people in India but the entire Indian diaspora around the world.'
With these successful tests, ISRO has moved a step closer to India's first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan.
This mission is the 14th human flight for the New Shepard programme and the 34th in its history.
As the first stage was crossed, Shukla sent a first message from space, saying he, along with the crew, was orbiting Earth at a speed of 7.5 km per second.
SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket was scheduled to blast off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Tuesday evening.
Indian-origin Astronaut Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are scheduled to leave the International Space station by March 19 at the earliest, said NASA.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS for nine months after reaching there in June last year. They were supposed to stay there for about a week.
Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore have been stranded on the International Space Station since June 2024.
The Elon Musk-headed SpaceX's newest Starship exploded ahead of a routine engine test in Texas, leading to a complete loss of the aircraft and damage to the immediate area surrounding the stand, the company has said.
Trump on Friday said he would pay out of his pockets the overtime for astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, who returned to Earth this week after spending nine months in space.
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