Axiom 4: The universe can be a family one day

Shubhanshu Shukla's space sojourn at the International Space Station involves research studies that'll serve all of humanity. This mission should focus minds on universal truths

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Group captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Air Force has become the second Indian astronaut to visit space after wing commander Rakesh Sharma's journey aboard the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft back in 1984. After being postponed multiple times on account of technical glitches, Axiom Mission-4 set pulses racing in a nation of over 1.4 billion when the Crew Dragon Grace lifted off from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in the US on 25 June. This spacecraft was sent up by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, the reusable bulk of which returned swiftly to its pre-launch clasps on the ground after delivering the necessary thrust. Designed to travel on, the crew capsule docked on Thursday at the International Space Station (ISS), which has been in low-earth orbit with seven astronauts aboard. They've been joined by Axiom-4's team of four led there by American astronaut Peggy Whitson, described by Nasa as a "frequent flyer." Apart from Shukla, the mission's pilot, its other members are scientists Slawosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland on behalf of the European Space Agency and Tibor Ka