As the four-member Artemis II crew embarked on their high-stakes flight around the moon on April 1, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla called the moment “both historic and deeply personal,” and said that the “weight of history is tangible” at Kennedy Space Center.
NASA’s historic moon mission is humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century, 54 years, since Apollo. Artemis II set sail from the same Florida launch site that sent Apollo’s explorers to the moon so long ago.
“After 54 years, four astronauts have once again commenced their journey around the Moon, a moment that feels both historic and deeply personal,” Shukla, an ISRO Gaganyatri and Indian Air Force officer, wrote in an X post. “Today, they launched aboard the Space Launch System from Kennedy Space Center, a place where the weight of history is almost tangible.”
“I remember standing on those very grounds for the first time, feeling humbled by what it represents,” Shukla said, sharing a personal reflection. “It is the same ground from which Neil Armstrong began humanity’s first journey to the Moon. The same place where Peggy Whitson, the most experienced American astronaut and my commander, launched on her first mission to space.”
Talking about the Artemis II launch, Shukla said, “And today, it becomes the starting point for yet another chapter in our shared story of exploration.”
On board NASA’s new Orion capsule are Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen. It is the most diverse lunar crew ever, with the first woman, person of colour and non-US citizen.
In the post, Shukla shared that during his training days, “I had the privilege of watching these astronauts prepare for this mission, and even meeting two of them personally.”
“To see them now on the cusp of such a remarkable journey is both inspiring and moving,” he added.
Shubhanshu Shukla, who is the only Indian so far to have flown as part of a NASA-linked programme, said the Artemis II crew represents “all humanity”.
“As they lift off, they do so not just as individuals, but as representatives of all humanity. Their mission carries the hopes and dreams of people across the world,” he said. “I wish them courage, success, and safe passage, knowing that all of us are looking up, rooting for them every step of the way.”
A ‘fanboy moment’
In an interview with NDTV before the launch of NASA’s moon mission, Shukla recalled meeting Christina Koch during his training in an informal setting at the astronaut gym.
Koch will be the first woman to travel beyond the Moon.
Shukla, who shared a picture with Koch in his X post, said she made a strong impression on him. “It was a fanboy moment for me,” he said, describing how he asked her for a selfie—something he noted he rarely does.
Shukla described Koch as “already a legend”, given both her past achievements and the milestone she is set to reach with Artemis II.
No moon landing for the Artemis II crew
The Artemis II astronauts will stick close to home for the first 25 hours of their 10-day test flight, checking out the capsule in orbit around Earth before firing the main engine that will propel them to the moon.
They won’t pause for a stopover or orbit the moon like Apollo 8’s first lunar visitors did so famously on Christmas Eve 1968, reading from Genesis.
But they stand to become the most distant humans ever when their capsule zooms past the moon and continues another 4,000 miles (6,400 km) beyond, before making a U-turn and tearing straight home to a splashdown in the Pacific.
