"Ready for Gaganyaan": Shubhanshu Shukla To NDTV After Historic Space Mission
In his first public interaction since returning from a landmark 20-day space mission, India's astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla spoke to NDTV, offering a deeply personal and inspiring account of his journey beyond Earth. From completing the "homework" assigned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a humorous moment of post-space disorientation, Group Captain Shukla's reflections mark a pivotal moment in India's human spaceflight ambitions.
"Completed Homework That PM Modi Gave"
In a candid exchange, Group Captain Shukla confirmed that he had fulfilled the task entrusted to him by PM Modi to document every aspect of his mission for the benefit of India's upcoming Gaganyaan programme.
"I remember very well the homework given to me by the Prime Minister. And I completed it very well. I am very excited to come back and share it with you all. I am confident that all that knowledge is going to prove extremely useful and crucial for us, for our own Gaganyaan mission," Group Captain Shukla said.
He emphasised that his participation in the international mission launched by Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX was not just a personal milestone, but a national investment.
"India has spent almost $70 million on you," NDTV's Science Editor Pallava Bagla pointedly noted. "Did we benefit or not?"
Group Captain Shukla's response was unequivocal: "This mission has been very successful and will be very beneficial for our mission."
"India's Second Orbit Has Begun"
Reflecting on the symbolic and emotional weight of the mission, Group Captain Shukla described a defining moment: speaking to PM Modi from space with the national flag fluttering behind him.
"That moment symbolised India's re-entry in space, not as a spectator, but as an equal participant," he said. "After 41 years, a Bharatiya returned to space. But this time, it wasn't a solitary leap. It was the beginning of what I like to call India's second orbit."
He credited the mission's success to the seamless collaboration between ISRO, the Indian Air Force, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX.
"Each of these institutions played a pivotal role in transforming this mission from an idea into a reality," he said.
Group Captain Shukla expressed that the experience of living and working in microgravity was vastly different from training simulations on Earth.
"The actual experience when you are up there is totally different," he said. "Understanding how your body reacts to the microgravity and the environment of space added on to the completeness of the entire training."
"This Is Only the Beginning"
Group Captain Shukla described the mission as a transformative experience, one that has filled him with a renewed sense of purpose.
"The mission itself exceeded every one of my expectations. But nothing, literally nothing could have prepared me for what came after," he said. "The love, the messages, and the support from every corner of Bharat... it filled me with something which I did not expect. A new kind of purpose."
Axiom-4 Or Mission Akash Ganga
Group Captain Shukla is the first Indian to have visited the $150 billion orbiting space laboratory and Axiom Space, the private space company that brokered this visit for NASA and ISRO, which cost India nearly $70 million.
After approximately 433 hours, 18 days, and 288 orbits around Earth covering nearly 12.2 million kilometres since docking with the International Space Station, the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew returned safely to Earth.
This would be about 32 times the distance between the Earth and Moon.
Group Captain Shukla is India's second astronaut after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma to go to space. Wing Commander Sharma flew to space in 1984 on an Indo-Soviet Mission.
Ready For Gaganyaan
As India prepares for its first indigenous human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, Group Captain Shukla's experience is expected to play a critical role in shaping astronaut training, mission protocols, and public engagement.
His readiness, both physical and mental, is a testament to the rigorous training and support systems in place.
"There is a properly incubated rehabilitation and recuperation programme," he said. "And step by step, you gain your strength and your balance. I feel perfectly normal. It feels as if I am ready to go on the space mission again."
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