New Delhi: “My journey to space is not mine alone but also my country’s”—these were the first words that Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla said in his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday.
On 25 June, Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the second Indian to take off for space as a part of the US-led Axiom-4 Mission, 41 years after Rakesh Sharma, whose famous line, “saare jahan se accha”, still resounds among Indians.
On Saturday, Shukla, who now holds the record of being the first Indian to reach the ISS, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on how the mission was going.
“As we speak, we are moving at a speed of nearly 28,000 km/hour. This speed is somewhat symbolic of the speed at which our country is progressing. We have reached here. But, there is still a long way to go,” Shukla said.
Shukla, the mission pilot, said that he was “absorbing” all learnings from the mission, “like a sponge”, and that he intends to advance Gaganyaan, which will be India’s first human space flight mission, as well as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station that India plans to build.
The Prime Minister asked Shubhanshu Shukla about his stay in space, his well-being, and how the Earth looked from the ISS. Additionally, Modi stressed that Shukla’s participation in the Axiom-4 mission will strengthen the interest of upcoming generations in space studies, as well as STEM.
“After Chandrayaan, India’s space programme took a new shape, and your journey to space is inspiring hundreds of children. When children today look into the sky, they think they can also reach there one day,” the PM said. He added that Shukla was representing the 1.4 billion Indians who were following his journey to space with joy and excitement.
An Indian in space after 41 years, when asked the same question that Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma faced during his 1984 space mission, Shubhanshu Shukla said, “India seems very large. Much bigger than what we see on maps.”
Learnings for India
During the 14-day mission, Shubhanshu Shukla, also known as ‘Shux’, his call sign for the mission, will lead seven experiments developed by top research institutes in India.
From the ISS, he confirmed that one of the seven experiments, studying the effect of metabolic supplements on muscle regeneration under microgravity, was scheduled for Saturday.
The Institute of Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine in Bengaluru has designed the experiment.
Teasing Shubhanshu Shukla, PM Modi said, “You know me, whenever I speak to someone, I always give them some homework … We have to move our Gaganyaan programme forward, build our space station and also land an Indian on the Moon. I hope you are recording all your learnings.”
“I have been absorbing all the training like a sponge. And I am sure these learnings will come in handy for advancing our space programme when I return,” Shukla replied.
Shubhanshu Shukla ended the conversation with a loud “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, the Indian Tricolour in his background, set up for the first time on the International Space Station.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)