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A New Chapter in India's Space Exploration

In a remarkable achievement for India, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla expressed his excitement as SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft successfully entered Earth's orbit just ten minutes after its launch from NASA's facility in Florida. Shukla, who is now the second Indian to venture into space, delivered his message in fluent Hindi, marking India's return to space exploration after a 41-year hiatus.

Wearing the Indian Tricolor, the 39-year-old former fighter pilot conveyed a sense of unity with his fellow citizens, stating, "The Tiranga on my shoulders signifies that I am not alone; I carry all of you with me."

Greeting his compatriots, he exclaimed, "What an incredible ride! After 41 years, we have returned to space, and it was truly an amazing experience!" Shukla highlighted the spacecraft's speed of 7.5 km per second and emphasized that this mission marks not only his journey to the International Space Station (ISS) but also the dawn of India's human space program.

He encouraged his fellow countrymen to take pride in this achievement, saying, "Let us embark together on this journey of India's Human Space Programme. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!"

Shukla made history by joining three other astronauts on a commercial mission to the ISS, 41 years after Rakesh Sharma's historic flight aboard a Russian spacecraft. The Dragon spacecraft, affectionately named Grace by the crew, is scheduled to dock at the ISS at 4:30 PM IST on Thursday.

This 14-day mission aboard the ISS aims to reinstate human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary.