Axiom-4 pilot Shubhanshu Shukla's launch date playlist REVEALED: His favourite is song by this Oscar-winning artist...

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the pilot of the Axiom Mission 4, shared his favourite song ahead of the launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.  Unveiling his launch day playlist, the Indian pilot revealed that he loves to listen to Shah Rukh Khan's 'Swades' movie song 'Yuh Hi Chala Chal'.

About the song

'Yuh Hi Chala Chal' is a popular song from the 2004 movie Swades. The song was composed by Oscar-winner AR Rahman, and the lyrics were penned by veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar.The vocals of the song were given by Udit Narayan, Kailash Kher and Hariharan. It is a motivational track that encourages the movie's main character (SRK) to practice perseverance and follow one's own path. The song appears in a montage sequence where Shah Rukh Khan and actor Markand Deshpande travel through the Indian countryside.

June 25, 2025

As per the official synopsis, Swades is a movie about a NASA scientist who returns to his homeland to find the nanny who raised him, intending to bring her back to America. His journey leads him into the rural heart of India, to the village of Charanpur, and sets him on both an outward and inner quest to find where he truly belongs.

Taking to their X handle, Axiom Space shared the Launch Day Playlist of the Axiom Mission 4 crew. Commander Peggy Whitson has named 'Thunder' by Imagine Dragons her go-to song.

About the Axiom-4 mission

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). This is the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The crew is traveling to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

The targeted docking time is approximately 7 am Eastern Time (4pm IST) on Thursday, June 26. Once docked, the astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities.

Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, is in command of the mission, while Indian Space Research Organization Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla serves as pilot. The two mission specialists are European Space Agency project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

The astronauts are using the new Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit, which provides them with advanced capabilities for space exploration while providing NASA with commercially developed human systems needed to access, live and work on and around the Moon. The advanced spacesuits ensure astronauts are equipped with high-performing, robust equipment and are designed to accommodate a wide range of crew members.

The Ax-4 mission is going to be conducting major research. The research complement includes around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and nations across Europe. This will be the most research and science-related activities conducted on an Axiom Space mission aboard the International Space Station to dateNASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) are collaborating to launch several scientific investigations. 

(With ANI Inputs)