Adhir Saiyadh received a reply from the capsule and experienced a video call type connection.

Ahmedabad:

A ham radio enthusiast from Ahmedabad on Wednesday got a response from SpaceX Crew Dragon’s astronauts while trying to connect with International Space Station.

Adhir Saiyadh, a computer engineer, told ANI that he was trying to connect with ISS when he suddenly received a response from Dragon capsule which docked with the orbital outpost on Sunday.

“I was on a video call with my student regarding the ISS. He asked me if we could connect with ISS. I decided to try and connect while I was on the video call. I coincidentally got connected on their frequency and received a reply from the capsule and experienced a video call type connection,” Mr Adhir told ANI.

“We were in the middle of an e-lecture when this capsule passed over Ahmedabad. I tried to connect to the ISS and we got connected. They acknowledged the call,” added Mr Adhir.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft with two NASA astronauts on Sunday successfully docked with the International Space Station after a historic launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the dawn of a new age in commercial space travel.

Saturday’s liftoff also assumes significance as it marks the launch of humans into orbit from US soil for the first time in nearly a decade.

Indian Space Research Organisation on Monday congratulated NASA and SpaceX for their manned mission and termed it as “historic.”

India has also been preparing the ground for its first manned space mission, “Gaganyaan”. The ₹10,000-crore ambitious project is expected to be launched in 2022, the year of the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence. Four Indian Air Force fighter pilots selected as potential candidates for the mission are currently undergoing training in Moscow.