Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian in space in over 40 years, marked launch day aboard Axiom-4 with a personal touch, playing Yun Ho Chala Chal from Swades. The launch from Kennedy Space Centre on June 25 at 12:01 PM IST also saw him carry Indian food and a mission badge embedded with symbols of India’s space legacy.
Shubhanshu Shukla Kicks Off Launch Day With Tribute to Bollywood
Shubhanshu Shukla chose a song from Swades, which is a film about a NASA engineer reconnecting with India, added a deliberate cultural layer to his mission. Composed by A.R. Rahman and sung by Udit Narayan, Kailash Kher, and Hariharan, the song reflects both personal and national journeys.
After liftoff, #Ax4 Commander @AstroPeggy revealed the name of the new @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft headed to the @Space_Station. Meet Grace! https://t.co/wb27kTMwHh pic.twitter.com/7QnyFOfRu7
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) June 25, 2025
Shubanshu Shukla is piloting the NASA-backed Axiom-4 mission, echoing the arc of Shah Rukh Khan’s character in the film. His selection stood out among the international crew’s picks, which included Imagine Dragons’ Thunder for Commander Peggy Whitson and Poland’s Supermoce by Igo, Mrozu, and Vito Bambino.
Indian Symbols Fly With Axiom-4
Shukla’s mission kit also includes Indian food items, mango nectar, moong dal halwa, and gajar ka halwa modified for space consumption. However, the most visible marker of India’s presence is the Axiom-4 mission badge, designed by Manish Tripathi. It features culturally significant icons such as Aryabhata, Gaganyaan, and Jantar Mantar, all of which combine India’s space legacy with its heritage.
Moreover, the badge was created specifically for this flight and cleared for use as part of Shukla’s mission identity. As a result, India joins Hungary and Poland in symbolically returning to space. Significantly, Shukla is only the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission with the Soviet Union.
Following the launch, Shukla said, “Namaskar, my dear countrymen; we have reached space after 41 years. It was a great ride. We are orbiting Earth at a speed of 7.5 km per second. I have the Indian tricolour on my shoulders. The tricolour tells me I am with you all. It is not just the start of my journey to the ISS but also India’s human spaceflight. I want each one of you to be part of this journey. Let us embark on India’s human space programme together.”
