Shubham Shukla’s space odyssey is as symbolic as it is motivational for India’s space aspirations
Shubham Shukla, the second Indian to go to space, is a great moral booster for every Indian. He has stirred the imagination of over a billion people. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla returned to Earth after a 20-day journey to the International Space Station (ISS), becoming only the second Indian to venture into space and the first to set foot on the ISS. This landmark achievement is not just a personal triumph for Shukla but a monumental leap for India’s space aspirations. As the nation moves closer to its first indigenous crewed spaceflight under the Gaganyaan mission, Shukla’s odyssey symbolises courage, capability, and India’s readiness to claim its place among the world’s elite spacefaring nations. Shukla’s journey aboard the Axiom-4 mission — a commercial spaceflight managed by Axiom Space in partnership with NASA and SpaceX — served multiple purposes. It was a testbed for future collaboration, a platform for scientific exploration and most crucially, a stepping stone for India’s human spaceflight ambitions. Alongside astronauts from the US, Hungary and Poland, Shukla conducted experiments, orbited the Earth 288 times and contributed to one of the most diverse scientific missions ever, involving 60 experiments from 31 countries. It was in 1984 that Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space, aboard the Soviet Union’s Soyuz T-11 spacecraft. India has come a long way, and in the four decades since then, Indian space aspirations have only soared.
Shukla’s voyage is not just a sequel to Sharma’s feat; it represents a significant evolution. His time aboard the ISS, his participation in advanced microgravity experiments, and his recovery under NASA’s supervision bring India invaluable insights as it prepares for the Gaganyaan mission — India’s first crewed spaceflight project, expected to launch by 2027. His presence aboard the ISS underscores India’s technical competence and diplomatic maturity in forging strategic space partnerships. Launched officially in 2018, the Gaganyaan programme seeks to send Indian astronauts — referred to as “Vyomanauts” — into low Earth orbit for a mission duration of up to seven days. The project, steered by ISRO with assistance from various global agencies, aims not only to demonstrate India’s technological prowess but also to lay the groundwork for future deep-space missions. Shukla was one of four astronauts shortlisted and trained for Gaganyaan, and his participation in the Axiom-4 mission was the result of a landmark agreement signed between ISRO and NASA in 2023. This mission gave ISRO a unique opportunity to test experiment modules, study human behaviour in space and learn from NASA’s decades-long experience in astronaut rehabilitation and space station logistics. The knowledge gained from Shukla’s experience — both technical and physiological — will be critical in fine-tuning Gaganyaan’s mission profile, safety protocols and crew support systems. India’s space ambitions are more than a quest for prestige — they are rooted in strategic, scientific, and economic imperatives. A strong space programme enhances national security, fuels innovation, supports climate and agricultural monitoring, and powers a growing commercial satellite industry. The significance goes beyond science. A vibrant space programme inspires students, cultivates scientific temper, and builds national pride. Indeed, Shubham Shukla’s space odyssey is a reminder that the sky is not the limit — but only the beginning.
