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 39-year-old, Lucknow-born Shubhanshu Shukla became only the second Indian astronaut to undertake a space flight, 41 years after his icon Rakesh Sharma’s eight-day space odyssey on board the then Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station in 1984.

As the Dragon spacecraft docked the orbital laboratory Thursday, Shubhanshu Shukla, on board, marked India's return to human spaceflight after 41 years.