New Delhi/IBNS, June 25 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian to travel to space in 40 years, is carrying the aspirations of 1.4 billion people.

Modi has welcomed the successful launch of the Axiom-4 Mission by India, Poland, Hungary and the United States.

The Axiom-4 Mission was launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday after multiple delays.

Shukla piloted a SpaceX Dragon aircraft which was launched for the space expedition.

He is accompanied by mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), Tibor Kapu (Hungary) and Commander Peggy Whitson (United States).

Earlier, Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma spent eight ...