Shubhanshu Shukla, 2nd Indian in space, got a little help from SRK on launch day

After facing multiple delays, the much-anticipated Axiom 4 mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25 at sharp 12.01 pm.

Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who has created history by becoming the first Indian to travel to space in the last forty years, had a special song on his playlist for the launch day - ‘Yun hu Chala Chal’ from the movie Swades.

Axiom-4 Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla has become the first Indian to travel to space in over 40 years. (REUTERS)

The song, a popular upbeat piece, was sung by Udit Narayan, Kailash Kher, and Hariharan, was composed by Grammy-winning artist AR Rahman and was penned by lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar.

Track updates of Axiom 4 mission launch here.

The movie that this song is from - Swades - follows the journey of a NASA scientist coming back to his roots and home country India, played by Shah Rukh Khan. The movie’s plotline and Shubhanshu Shukla’s own story are intertwined, as Shukla is now piloting the NASA-backed Axiom 4 Mission, creating history.

What’s on other astronauts' playlist?

Mission Commander Peggy Whitson’s pick for the launch day was Imagine Dragons’ song ‘Thunder’. Mission specialist Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland picked the song ‘Supermoce’ featuring artists namely Igo, Mrozu, and Vito Bambino. Hungary's Tibor Kapu’s choice was a song named 'Búvóhely' by Quimby ft. Gábor Barbinek, Tamás Meleg, Gábor Subicz.

Axiom 4 mission lifts off

After facing multiple delays and postponements, the much-anticipated Axiom 4 mission launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25 at sharp 12.01 pm. The mission, which is special in more than one way, marks India’s, Hungary’s, and Poland’s return to space.

All four astronauts took off aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.

The mission is being piloted by Indian Space Research Organisation astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who has scripted history with the mission. He is the first Indian travelling to space in over forty years, only after revered Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma. Sharma spent eight days in orbit as part of the then Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station in 1984.

As the Dragon spacecraft began its journey towards the ISS, 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 Indian tricolour on my shoulders. Tricolour tells me I am with you all, it is not just the start of my journey to ISS but also of 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.”