India’s first astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Shubhanshu Shukla, on Friday said the success of Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4) marks India’s return to orbit after 41 years, calling it “India’s second orbit.” “And this time, we are ready not just to fly, but to lead,” he said during a post-mission press briefing, adding that his journey was not just as a spacefarer, but as a messenger of what’s now possible for India.The 39-year-old Indian Air Force Group Captain said he feels fit and ready for another space mission. Shukla added that he is confident the knowledge gathered aboard the ISS will prove invaluable to India’s upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.Recalling his time aboard the ISS, Shukla noted that the sight of the Indian flag floating behind him symbolised the country’s re-entry into global space conversations “not as a spectator, but as an equal participant.”Responding to a question from ET, Shukla, who served as the mission’s pilot, said the experiments designed by ISRO and Indian researchers were focussed on enabling India’s human spaceflight ambitions. “All these experiments we did on the station also have real-time benefits here on earth, whether it's for understanding degenerative diseases or ensuring food security,” he said.He added that some experiments, such as stem cell research conducted in microgravity, could help decode why muscle atrophy happens and how it might be prevented or delayed, both in space and on earth. India’s contribution to the mission included seven microgravity experiments across disciplines such as space medicine, agriculture, and biology, part of the larger set of 60 scientific investigations on Ax-4.The four-member Ax-4 crew, comprising astronauts from India, Poland’s Sławosz Uznański, Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, and NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, will now enter a two-week debriefing phase, during which mission learnings will be reviewed and shared with respective space agencies.Reflecting on the outreach efforts and the true success of the mission, Shukla said the most common question he heard from children was, “How does one become an astronaut? “If children across Bharat are already asking these questions, we are halfway there. The rest is just enabling them.”Ax-4 was launched on June 25 and concluded with the return of the crew on July 15.