‘India still looks saare jahan se achcha’: Shubhanshu Shukla echoes Rakesh Sharma’s iconic line from house; calls journey ‘magical’ | India News

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla at International Space Station

NEW DELHI: “India still looks saare jahan se achcha from house,” astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla mentioned, echoing Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 comment, as he ready to wrap up his historic mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).Shukla, skilled by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), turned the primary Indian to succeed in the ISS through a personal spaceflight, as a part of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission. Speaking about his time in orbit, Shukla described the journey as “incredible, almost magical,” including that right this moment’s India looks formidable, fearless, assured, and filled with pleasure from house.The Ax-4 mission is about to undock from the ISS on July 14 at 4.30 pm IST, with Shukla’s splashdown on Earth anticipated the next day — July 15 round 3.00 pm IST — the ministry of science and know-how confirmed on Sunday.Launched aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center, Shukla was a part of a four-member Ax-4 crew that included veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, ESA engineer Slawosz Uznanski-Wiśniewski, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu.Trained by Isro, Shukla contributed to a packed analysis agenda aboard the ISS, the place the Ax-4 crew carried out over 60 superior experiments throughout cutting-edge domains together with biology, synthetic intelligence, and supplies science. Their scientific output is predicted to assist future house missions and deepen worldwide collaboration in low-Earth orbit analysis.Shukla’s journey marks a historic milestone — not only for him personally, however for India’s rising function in worldwide house collaboration. A former IAF officer and aerospace engineer from Uttar Pradesh, Shukla is the primary Indian to succeed in the ISS through a personal spaceflight, symbolising the following chapter in India’s house odyssey 4 many years after Rakesh Sharma’s iconic voyage in 1984. His choice adopted an intensive coaching routine underneath Isro, which has been actively investing in international partnerships via initiatives just like the Gaganyaan mission and business satellite tv for pc launches.The Axiom-4 mission additionally carries bigger implications for the way forward for human spaceflight. Operated by the US-based Axiom Space, the Ax-4 mission is a part of a broader effort to commercialise low-Earth orbit missions and construct the primary privately owned house station. Axiom’s collaboration with nationwide house companies like Isro not solely enhances international cooperation but additionally gives a blueprint for future public-private missions in house. As the Ax-4 crew prepares to return, Shukla’s voyage is being seen as a logo of an formidable, globally engaged, and space-ready India.