New Delhi, Aug 21: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to undertake a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), on Thursday said that his historic journey has successfully met all technical objectives and yielded promising results.
Shukla, who flew aboard Axiom Space Mission 4 alongside NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, reached the orbiting laboratory on June 26 for an 18-day stay. Speaking at a press briefing in the national capital, he described the mission as the “mission of an entire nation” and a moment of immense pride for India.
“We have been able to achieve all our technical objectives,” Shukla said. He explained that the team conducted seven different experiments, ranging from stem cell research to growing sprouts in space. Some experiments began showing results during the mission, while all samples were preserved, frozen, and brought back to Earth for detailed analysis. “The results are very encouraging, but the data needs to be studied carefully before drawing conclusions,” he noted.
Reflecting on the journey, Shukla described the experience of space travel as indescribable. “Despite all the training, when you sit on that rocket and the engines ignite, the feeling is beyond words. From liftoff to splashdown, the experience was unbelievable, exciting, and amazing,” he said.
He added that beyond technical outcomes, the mission offered invaluable intangible knowledge. “Witnessing and executing a human spaceflight mission like this gives you insights that cannot be measured or fully documented. The experience goes much deeper than what can be written in books,” Shukla observed.
India’s maiden human presence on the ISS is seen as a major milestone in the country’s growing space ambitions, boosting ISRO’s future manned spaceflight programs, including the upcoming Gaganyaan mission.
