Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), spoke to the media in New Delhi on Thursday. He shared his experiences from the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) and said the journey had been “extremely successful.”
Shukla was joined by Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, who was his backup for the mission. Together, they gave a glimpse of India’s growing ambitions in space.
“Shubhanshu is my Rama, I am his Laxman”
In a lighthearted and emotional moment, Nair compared Shukla to Lord Ram. “A few months from now, we will have Diwali. That’s the time when Shri Ram ji entered Ayodhya. We are here right now to the Rama that is Shux. I can call myself Laxman. It feels like Diwali here today, and all our countrymen are here to receive us,” he said.
‘Shubhanshu is my Ram, and I am his Lakshman…’ – Astronaut Prashant Nair said something that touched the heart of every Indian. pic.twitter.com/h0P1PH5p8s
— Digital Bharat (@MDigitalBharat) August 21, 2025
He also thanked ISRO scientists, calling them the “Vanar Sena” and likening their support to Hanuman’s role in the Ramayana. “But remember, I am older than Shux; I would love to be Laxman to this Ram every day,” he added.
Nair stressed that India’s moment in space has arrived. “Whether it’s a technical prowess, industry, or josh, India’s time has come,” he said.
Shukla says the mission achieved all objectives.
Speaking about his journey, Shukla said that the Axiom-4 mission met all targets. “This mission has been extremely successful and all technical objectives have been achieved,” he told reporters.
He explained that the experience of living in space goes beyond training. “The benefit of executing a human space mission is more than the training. The supplementary knowledge we get just by being there is invaluable. All the information I have collected in the past year will be extremely useful to us for our missions, Gaganyaan and Bharatiya Antariksh Station,” he said.
ALSO READ: Bharat Saare Jahaan Se…,’ Shubhanshu Shukla’s Words Ignite National Pride | Watch
Shukla also explained how the human body changes in space. “The experience is very different from what you learn on the ground. The body goes through a lot of changes… The body forgets how to live in gravity after spending 20 days in space,” he said.
India’s future space goals
Shukla and Nair are among the four astronauts training for India’s first human space mission under the Gaganyaan programme. The mission is expected to take off in 2027.
India also has bigger plans — setting up its space station by 2035 and sending an astronaut to the moon by 2040.
Shukla’s ISS journey has provided valuable insights that will help India’s space programme. He expressed confidence that very soon, an Indian astronaut will go to space on India’s rocket and capsule.
“Very soon we shall send someone from our capsule, from our rocket and our soil,” he said, adding that the lessons from this mission will directly strengthen Gaganyaan and India’s space ambitions.
