Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s astronaut on the Axiom-4 mission, returned home after a successful ISS mission. Calling it an “unbelievable experience,” he said the learnings will aid India’s Gaganyaan project. Shukla also expressed hope of seeing astronauts launched “from our own capsule, rocket, and soil” soon.
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla addresses a press conference. Pic/PTI
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India after a successful mission to the International Space Station. Excited after the mission, he on Thursday expressed hope that soon someone would travel to space "from our own capsule, from our rocket, from our soil."
As reported by news agency PTI, while addressing a press conference, Group Captain Shukla stated, “The first-hand experience from the ISS mission was invaluable and a lot better than any training.”
Shukla also added, “Bharat abhi bhi saare jahaan se achcha lagta hai,” echoing the words first spoken by Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma after his space mission in 1984.
On his Axiom-4 Mission, Shubhanshu Shukla said the experience from the ISS mission would be very useful for India’s own Gaganyaan mission, and that he had learned a lot over the past year as part of his training.
Speaking to the media about his space mission, Shukla said, "No matter how much training you have done, even after that, when you sit in the rocket and the engines ignite, when they catch fire, I think it is a very different feeling,” as cited by PTI.
The astronaut further said, "I had not imagined how it would feel, and I was actually running behind the rocket for the first few seconds, and it took me some time to catch up to it. From that moment until the time we splashed down, the experience was unbelievable. It was so exciting and so amazing that I have really been struggling to find words to convey it to you, so that you can live that experience through my words," as cited by ANI.
Earlier on Monday, the Lok Sabha briefly discussed India’s First Astronaut Aboard the International Space Station — Critical Role of Space Programme for ‘Viksit Bharat by 2047’.
Appreciating Shukla’s achievement, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla congratulated Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla.
Birla said, ”On this occasion, the house welcomes Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to India. His space mission and successful return are not merely about the success of the mission, but a matter of pride and inspiration for Indian citizens. Shukla's achievement is an inspiration for the youth,” as cited by ANI.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
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