Calling spaceflight a viable career choice for the next generation, ‘Gaganyatri’ Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Sunday said the profession of an astronaut is no longer aspirational alone but formally recognised in India.
Shukla became the first Indian to travel to the ISS when the mission was launched on June 25 this year. He returned to Earth on July 15 after an 18-day stay, marking a significant milestone in India’s space journey. (HT PHOTO)
“India is moving steadily towards its own human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan. We are also working towards establishing a Bharatiya Space Station, and by 2040, India plans to land on the Moon,” he said during the Pune Literature Festival.
Reflecting on his own journey, Shukla said he was born a year after Rakesh Sharma made history by travelling to space in 1984. “I grew up hearing those stories, but becoming an astronaut never seemed realistic because India didn’t have a programme then,” he said. “Today, students regularly ask me how they can become astronauts. That itself shows how much has changed.”
Shukla stressed that spaceflight is now an attainable goal for young Indians willing to put in sustained effort. “Astronaut is a profession today. It’s open to you. If I could reach here, so can you,” he told students.
Sharing a more personal perspective, Shukla described how travelling beyond Earth alters one’s sense of identity. “In space, you stop identifying with a city, state or even a country. Earth becomes your home. Seeing the planet as one shared space is a powerful experience,” he said.
He also spoke about the demanding training process that began in 2020 and culminated in his space mission earlier this year. Recalling the launch, Shukla said the force of ignition was overwhelming. “The entire body vibrates. It’s so intense that for a moment, everything you’ve trained for disappears,” he said.
During the session, he explained life aboard the International Space Station (ISS), touching upon daily routines in microgravity, physical changes experienced by astronauts, and lighter moments of adapting to weightlessness. He noted that experiments conducted during the mission would be crucial for India’s future space station plans.
Shukla also screened footage he recorded while orbiting over India, offering the audience a rare view of the country from space.
Shukla became the first Indian to travel to the ISS when the mission was launched on June 25 this year. He returned to Earth on July 15 after an 18-day stay, marking a significant milestone in India’s space journey. His participation in the Axiom-4 mission and Expedition 73 highlighted India’s expanding role in international space collaboration.
