'It was the nation’s mission': ISS astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla shares his journey; says India looks ‘saare jahaan se achcha’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'It was the nation’s mission': ISS astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla shares his journey; says India looks ‘saare jahaan se achcha’")
ISS astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Photograph: (PTI)
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s first astronaut on the ISS via Axiom-4, called his space journey a mission for the nation, thanking ISRO and the government for their support.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on the Axiom-4 mission, has described his journey as a mission for the entire nation. Speaking at a joint press conference with ISRO Chairman Dr V. Narayanan, Shukla said spaceflight was nothing like ground training. “It was entire nation’s mission. The experience is very different from what you learn on ground. It was an unbelievable experience,” he said, thanking the Indian government, ISRO and researchers for their support.
The role of mission pilot
Explaining his role, Shukla said, “My profile in this mission was the mission pilot. There are four seats in the Crew Dragon. I was the mission pilot and I had to work with the commander and interact with the systems of the Crew Dragon. We had to perform the experiments that were conceived, developed and realised by the Indian researchers. And also to perform STEM demonstrations, capture photos and videographs.”
He added that the first days in orbit were difficult. “Grateful for people’s support. The first few days in space were tough. Re-adjusting to gravity was a challenge,” he noted.
A hope for future launches from Indian soil
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Shukla also said he hoped the next generation of astronauts would launch from India itself. “Want to thank the Indian Government, ISRO, the researchers… I hope very soon someone will travel to space from our own capsule, from our rocket, from our soil.” He repeated the famous words of Rakesh Sharma, India’s first astronaut in 1984, saying India still looks “saare jahaan se achcha (better than the entire world)” from space.
Lessons for Gaganyaan
Reflecting on the Axiom-4 experience, Shukla said it would help shape India’s own human spaceflight programme. “No matter how much training you have done, even after that, when you sit in the rocket and the engines ignite… it is a very different feeling. I had not imagined how it would feel, and I was actually running behind the rocket for the first few seconds… From that moment until the time we splashed down, the experience was unbelievable.” He added that the ISS mission had given him invaluable insights that would be useful for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission.
ISRO highlights rapid progress
ISRO Chairman Dr Narayanan praised the achievement, calling the Axiom-4 mission “prestigious” and a landmark in India’s space journey. “In the last 10 years, the progress has been phenomenal and exponential. The missions completed from 2015 to 2025 are almost double those from 2005 to 2015. During the last 6 months, three important missions have been accomplished. The Axiom-4 mission is a prestigious mission. The first Indian was taken to the International Space Station and was brought back safely, Shubhanshu Shukla.” After returning to Earth on 15 July, Shukla met both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
