India’s first space traveler, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (Retd), who made history in 1984 as the first Indian in space, sent a warm video message to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to space and the first to the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla just took off on the Axiom-4 mission.
Rakesh Sharma Shares Message
In his message to the Axiom-4 crew, Sharma conveyed his best wishes and gave a light-hearted advice. “Wishing you all the best. To the crew: Godspeed! Look out of the window as much as you can. Have fun, guys,” he stated.
Watch:
VIDEO | India’s first space hero in 1984, Rakesh Sharma wishes Shubhanshu Shukla and other astronauts on Axiom-4 good luck.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/2Azdg2y5K0
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 25, 2025
Shukla’s achievement is being touted as a milestone, 41 years after Sharma’s own flight in the Soviet-era spacecraft Soyuz T-11. Shukla’s mission is India’s expanding footprint in space travel.
Indian Air Force Also Shares Wishes
The Indian Air Force (IAF), of which both Sharma and Shukla are officers, marked the occasion as a milestone in the history of aviation and space for India. On an X post, the IAF stated, “From ruling the skies to reaching the stars. A journey driven by the unbreakable spirit of the IAF Air Warrior. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla embarks on a historic Space Mission, with the nation for pride beyond the Earth. This is déjà-vu time for India, 41 years after Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma’s mission, when our Tricolour first went beyond the planet Earth. It is not just a mission. it is India’s reaffirmation of its ever-widening horizon.”
Sharma’s personal purpose is still legendary in India’s shared psyche, particularly because of his now-celebrated reaction to then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when she asked him what India was like from outer space. Referring to poet Allama Iqbal, Sharma had responded, “Saare Jahan Se Accha” (Better than the whole world), a phrase which is still remembered with pride.
As Group Captain Shukla sets out on this historic mission, such messages as Sharma’s are inspiration and appreciation of India’s burgeoning abilities in exploring space.
