WATCH | India's Shubhanshu Shukla sends new message from space, ‘sleeping a lot, enjoying the view…’

Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Thursday sent another message from space, saying, “What a ride it was with my fellow astronauts.” He asserted that though he is sleeping a lot after a hectic ride, he is enjoying the view from up above.

Here's the full message:

Hello everyone. Namaskar from the space. I am thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts, one veteran and three rookies. And wow, what a ride it was. Frankly, when we were at the launchpad yesterday, the only thought in my mind was ‘let's just go’.

After 30 days of quarantine, it was feeling that I just wanted to go. Then, when the flight started, it was something. It was an amazing ride. Then suddenly nothing. Everything is silent, and you are just floating. You unbuckle and keep floating inside, balancing the vacuum. An amazing feeling.

I wasn't particularly feeling very well since we got shot into the vacuum. I have been sleeping a lot, but I think that is a great sign as I am getting used to this environment. Right now, I am enjoying the view and the experience, and learning like a baby - i.e., how to walk and control yourself.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of this. Also, it is important to understand that it is not a personal accomplishment but a collective achievement. I want to thank each and every one who has made this journey possible.

Shukla made history by embarking on space travel, along with three others from the US, Poland and Hungary, to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying four Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew members, including Mission Pilot Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla, launched from Kennedy Space Centre at noon on Wednesday, Indian Standard Time (IST). It is orbiting Earth and on its way to the International Space Station.

Dragon is also carrying Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu and will dock to the Harmony module's space-facing port at 4:30 pm IST today.

NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers will be on duty at the beginning of their shift, monitoring Dragon during its automated approach and rendezvous manoeuvres. After docking, the Ax-4 astronauts will greet the seven Expedition 73 crewmates, call down to Earth for welcoming remarks, then participate in a safety briefing with the station residents.

Meanwhile, McClain and Ayers, along with the rest of the station crew, worked a normal shift on Wednesday, keeping up with microgravity research and lab maintenance