Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday interacted with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the Indian Air Force officer currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), calling his feat the “start of a new era” for India’s space aspirations.
Shukla, part of a four-member crew on a commercial spaceflight operated by Axiom Space, became the first Indian to travel to space in over four decades — the last being Rakesh Sharma in 1984 aboard a Soviet mission.
“You are farthest from India but closest to Indians' hearts,” Modi told Shukla during the video interaction. “Your historic journey will further strengthen students’ resolve to explore space.”
Speaking from orbit, Shukla described the moment he first saw Earth from the ISS. “The Earth looks completely one, no border is visible from outside,” he said. “India looks very grand from up here — much bigger than what we see on the map.”
Calling the experience deeply moving, he added: “This is not my journey alone but also my country’s. I feel proud to represent India.”
Shukla’s mission is being widely hailed as a major milestone in India’s growing role in commercial and human spaceflight programmes.
(With input from agencies)