Dehradun, June 29 -- New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's journey to the International Space Station on Wednesday is a stepping-stone for Gaganyaan - India's human spaceflight mission.

After 41 years, India now will have an astronaut in space. Shukla will also be the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma's flight in 1984.

Shukla's flight launched at 2:31 a.m. EDT (12 noon IST), from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company's Falcon 9 rocket.

"Shubhanshu Shukla's mission to the space station is crucial for India as we have been preparing for the Gaganyaan mission for quite some time. Four astronauts have undergone advanced training f...