&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘India looks ambitious from space’: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s message before returning home")
As Indian Air Force Group Captain and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to return to Earth, his farewell message from the International Space Station (ISS) captured pride, gratitude and a vision for India’s future in space. Concluding the Axiom‑4 mission, Shukla addressed colleagues and audiences back home, reflecting on an extraordinary journey, India’s rising ambition in space exploration and the shared spirit that made it possible. “It has been an incredible journey,” Shukla said. “It has been made amazing and incredible because of the people who are involved.” Expressing thanks to ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space, and Indian researchers and students, he added, “Going back, I carry a lot of memories and learnings.” Emphasising the collaborative nature of the mission, Shukla noted, “All of us come from different parts of the world for one mission – it’s incredible.”
'Today’s India looks fearless and proud'
In a powerful and patriotic message delivered in hindi, on how modern India appears from space, Shukla said, “Aaj ka Bharat space se mahatvakanshi dikhta hai, aaj ka Bharat nidar dikhta hai, aaj ka Bharat confident dikhta hai, aaj ka Bharat garv se poorn dikhta hai, aaj ka Bharat abhi bhi sare jahan se achha dikhta hai. Jald hi mulaqat hoti hai..”(Today’s India looks ambitious, fearless, confident and full of pride, and still appears better than anywhere else in the world.)
His words , ‘sare jahan se achha’ echoed Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 reply from space, creating a symbolic link between India’s space legacy and its bold future. “Our journey is still very long,” he added, hinting that India’s real story in space exploration has only just begun.
Shukla stressed on the mission’s scientific goals, educational outreach and the sense of wonder that space travel brings. “We have done a lot of science, outreach, and always looked out on Earth, it seems magical to me,” he said.
Collaboration beyond borders
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Peggy Whitson, Ax-4 commander, praised the camaraderie and professional spirit of the ISS crew. Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu said, “We came with a purpose and made a lot of things happen – science, amazing pictures of Earth, funny videos, and made a lot of people proud on the ground. We made friends in space, shared inside jokes, and we did it because we are people collaborating in space in the name of science.”
