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.

Pilot Shukla is sharing the capsule with four other astronauts as part of a mission by Axiom Space which aims to contribute to microgravity research in areas including human physiology, nutrition, and seed germination in space.

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, speaking during a live webcast from space, said that a swan toy accompanying him to the ISS is more than just a Zero-G indicator