India is brimming with pride after Shubhanshu Shukla became the first astronaut from the country to blast off to the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday, in a boost to the South Asian giant’s bid to become a space power.

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla launches aboard Axiom-4 to the ISS, marking India’s return to space after 40 years with global scientific collaboration.

The first astronauts in more than 40 years from India, Poland and Hungary have arrived at the International Space Station, ferried there by SpaceX on a private flight