Context
• India’s ShubhanshShukla became the 634th astronaut to travel to space as he entered the International Space Station on Thursday after a 28-hour journey.
• Mr. Shukla and three other astronauts were formally welcomed on the space station by the members of Expedition 73 with warm hugs and handshakes.
• Axiom mission commander Peggy Whitson handed out astronaut pins to Mr. Shukla, Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungarian Tibor Kapu, who marked their maiden voyage to space.
• This is a phase of India’s space journey, says Shukla; I am carrying the tiranga and I am very confident that the next 14 days are going to be amazing, advancing science and research, he adds
UPSC / PCM - 2026 / NEW REGULAR BATCH STARTS ON SEP-5, 2025 
