Group captain Shubhinhu Shukla, who is currently riding on the International Space Station (ISS), spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and said, “Akash is never a limit, neither for you, nor for you, nor for India.”
During his conversation, Shukla said, “If you try and build your future properly, the future of the nation will also be good. And keep this one thing in your heart: ‘The sky is never a limit’, neither for you, nor for you, nor for India.”
Shukla made history on Wednesday as he operated the ISS travel by Axiom Space as part of the Axiom-4 commercial space mission. The spacecraft carrying Shukla and three other astronauts, docked with ISS on 26 June. His mission is a major milestone, the first Indian to travel in space in 41 years since Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 spacecraft. Shukla, serving as a mission pilot, becomes the second Indian traveling to space.
The Prime Minister’s office confirmed the conversation through a post on X: “PM Narendra Modi interacted with the group captain Shubanshu Shukla, who is riding at the international space station.”
During the exchange, PM Modi told Shukla, “Your historical journey will further strengthen the students’ resolve to find the space.”
Expressing deep pride, Shukla said: “My journey is not alone but also of our country, it feels proud to represent India.” He also shared his approach to space: “India looks gorgeous and bigger than space as it does on the map.”
Earlier, after the successful launch of the Axiom-4 mission, Prime Minister Modi wrote on the X, “We welcome the successful launch of the space mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and America. Indian astronauts, group captain Shubeshu Shukla has wished him and any kind of best. All success!”
‘Swim in vacuum, and it’s magical’
Shukla shared her excitement about the journey of space, describing it as an unforgettable experience.
“I am thrilled to come here with my fellow astronauts-what was a ride. Honestly, as I was sitting in a capsule ‘Grace’ on the launchpad yesterday, after 30 days of quarant, yesterday, I could think that I could think: Just go.
Expressing gratitude to the mission team, Shukla called the experience a common success.
He said, “I really appreciate every person’s efforts who made this journey possible. It is not just a personal achievement – it belongs to all of us,” he said.
The Axiom-4 mission on the Dragon spacecraft, on Thursday, was successfully docted with ISS, earlier Scheduled. The autonomous docking took place at the IST at 4:05 pm at the Space Hormi module.
On arrival, AX-4 Crew-East NASA astronaut Paigi Whitson, ISRO Astronaut Group captain Sukhanshu Shukla, and ESA astronauts Slavosz from Uznanski-Visnivski to Poland and Tiber Kepu to participate in the guise to Hungarian and participate in the guise of 73.
Shukla expressed pride after entering ISS, became the 634th human in space and the first Indian to ride on ISS.
After receiving his official astronaut PIN from Mission Commander Pagi Whitson, Shukla said, “I am not 634, this is a privilege.”
He said, “To be fair, it is a privilege of one of the few people who have got the opportunity to see the Earth from a convenient point that I can see now. It is a wonderful ride. I was eager to come to space -I was eager to come in space -it’s something to look forward.
In a hearty message to the nation, he said, “I have a small message for my countrymen: this is due to your love and blessings that I have safely reached the international space station. It may seem easy to stand here, but it is not; I am having a headache. However, we will work to do it.
He said, “The slant I am on my shoulder, I feel as if the whole country is with me. I believe the next 14 days are really interesting.”
In the next two weeks, the AX-4 crew will carry forward a series of scientists, outreach and commercial activities in the orbiting lab. Shukla will conduct several experiments on the ISS as part of his mission.
