Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, speaking from aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft just 10 minutes into flight, marked a historic moment for the nation as he became the first Indian to head to the International Space Station (ISS).鈥淣amaskar, my dear countrymen; after 41 years, we have reached space. It was a great ride,鈥 Shukla said, moments after the Axiom-4 mission entered Earth鈥檚 orbit.Orbiting at a speed of 7.5 km per second, the Lucknow-born Air Force officer added, 鈥淚 have the Indian tricolour on my shoulders. It tells me I am with you all.鈥漇hukla became the first astronaut to travel to the International Space Station, a journey that comes 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s eight days in orbit as part of the then Soviet Union’s Salyut-7 space station in 1984.In a message filled with national pride and symbolism, he continued, 鈥淭his is not just the start of my journey to the ISS but also the beginning of India鈥檚 human spaceflight era.鈥漈he Axiom-4 mission lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from NASA鈥檚 Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 pm IST on Wednesday.The four-member crew is expected to dock at the ISS at 4:30 pm IST on Thursday, following a 28-hour journey.