Shubhanshu Shukla Honors India’s Space Legacy by Saying Goodbye to the ISS

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian astronaut, is onboard the spacecraft that will return him to Earth after spending almost three weeks in orbit. Now that the door is closed, the astronauts are waiting to disembark from the space station and start their journey back to Earth.

The Axiom-4 mission, also known as Mission Akash Ganga, marks the conclusion of India’s first phase of the cosmic leap, but this was the simple part. The difficult part will now start when Astronaut Shukla returns and applies what he has learned to India’s Gaganyaan human space mission program. For the overall Gaganyaan program, which aims to put an Indian on the moon by 2040, India has allotted almost Rs 33,000 crore.

Along with making Mr. Shukla the second Indian astronaut in space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984, this mission establishes India as a major player in the international space community. Mr. Sharma traveled on board the Soviet space station Salyut-7 for just over seven days. Now, after spending almost three weeks in space, Mr. Shukla became the first Indian to visit the ISS. By the way, Mr. Shukla was not even born when Mr. Sharma embarked on that expedition, but at 39, he is genuinely shaping India’s future in human space travel.

Collaboration and Science on Axiom-4

Shukla highlighted the mission’s scientific legacy in addition to patriotic pride. He noted that the 18-day journey on the ISS exceeded his expectations and left him with “fond memories and learnings.” Shukla conducted numerous microgravity experiments with crewmates from the US, Poland, and Hungary. In total, they conducted over 60 investigations, including seven headed by India on subjects including muscle loss and plant growth.

These experiments mark a significant advancement in Indian space science since ISRO has stated that they will yield “critical knowledge” for upcoming initiatives such as the country’s prospective space station and Gaganyaan flight program.

The greatest lesson learned, according to Shukla, was “what humanity can achieve when we work with a common goal.” He also lauded the teamwork on board the ISS. To put it another way, the mission showed both international collaboration and scientific advancement.