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.

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.

The Dragon capsule carrying the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew — Grace — cruised silently through space, its nose cone open and docking sensors primed, and event.