New Delhi, India
Marking the 40th anniversary of the historic spaceflight of the first Indian cosmonaut, Rakesh Sharma, aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11, Russian Deputy Chief of the Mission in Delhi, Roman Babushkin, has hailed India’s remarkable achievements in space exploration. He labelled India as a “space superpower” owing to its successful endeavours in space, notably the recent Chandrayaan 3 mission.
The Russian diplomat said, “Now India, having developed its robust national space programme by right enjoys the status of a space superpower, well reputed, reliable and preferred global partner for space science and satellite launching.”
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The Soyuz T-11 mission, which lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 2, 1984, carried Rakesh Sharma as the first Indian astronaut into space. Cosmonauts Yuri Malyshev, Rakesh Sharma, and Gennady Strekalov – all three were awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Ashok Chakra on return to Earth.
Notably, the Soviet Union played a pivotal role in launching India’s first satellite, Aryabhata, in 1975, followed by the deployment of the Bhaskara satellite in 1979. Babushkin underscored the ongoing collaboration between Russia and India in space exploration, particularly emphasising Moscow’s support for the ambitious Gaganyaan mission.
“The Russian state cooperation Roscosmos and the ISRO are deeply involved in the implementation of the Indian Gaganyaan mission by training astronauts, providing assistance in the development of a manned spacecraft, supplying like support and crew escape systems, flight suits, couches, rate sensors, cooperating on thermal protecting coating, applied materials, and space medicine capacity building,” Babushkin stated, emphasising the collaborative efforts between Russia and India in advancing the Gaganyaan mission.
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Both sides are looking to expand space cooperation with the involvement of the private sector and start-ups. The BRICS grouping, of which India and Russia are members, has on its agenda an agreement on the remote satellite constellation.
The celebrated Indian astronaut sent a message as well on the occasion. He pointed out that four astronauts designated for Gaganyaan have been trained in the same place in Russia as he trained. He said, ‘it has been very fruitful cooperation with Russia..’ Sharma’s message echoed the sentiment of deep-seated collaboration between the two nations in the space sector.
As part of the commemoration of Sharma’s historic spaceflight, the Russian Embassy in India, in conjunction with the Russian House in New Delhi and the TASS news agency, organised a photo exhibition showcasing archival materials documenting Sharma’s journey as an astronaut.