New Delhi, June 25 -- President of India's SatCom Industry Association (SIA-India) Subba Rao Pavuluri on Wednesday expressed pride over astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's participation in the Axiom Mission 4, calling it a landmark moment for the country and a reflection of the growing role of India's private sector in global space exploration.

Speaking to ANI, Pavuluri said, "Our astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is going into space. It's a great day for India."

The Axiom Mission 4 launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 2:31 am Eastern Time (12 Noon IST).

Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, is in command of the...