India marked a monumental moment in space exploration as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Axiom Space’s Mission-4, becoming the first Indian to reach the orbiting laboratory in 41 years.

The milestone triggered a wave of celebration across the nation, with Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi and Tamil actor-politician Kamal Haasan among the many who congratulated Shukla. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Chiranjeevi wrote, “Proud, proud moment for all Indians. Heartiest congratulations to our space hero Grp. Cpt. @IndiaInSky #Shux for becoming only the second Indian astronaut to carry out this space mission! You have made history!”

Kamal Haasan echoed similar sentiments, stating, “So proud today, as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla journeys to the International Space Station, joining the immortal Rakesh Sharma in the stars. I look forward to the day our tricolour rises to the skies on an Indian rocket.”

Shukla, a native of Lucknow, has now joined the elite ranks of Indian astronauts, following Rakesh Sharma’s iconic spaceflight in 1984. The Ax-4 mission, aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft named Grace, docked successfully at the Harmony module of the ISS at 6:30 a.m. ET (4:00 p.m. IST) on Thursday.

Alongside Shukla, the mission includes Commander Peggy Whitson (USA), and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).

SpaceX confirmed the achievement with a post on X: “Docking confirmed!” The mission marks a proud new chapter in India's space journey.