Shubhanshu Shukla shares Indian food, struggles most with sleep aboard ISS

'You want to do more and more,' says Shubhanshu Shukla on the struggle to sleep in space amid the pressure of limited time

After spending a week aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has said that sleeping is the most challenging task, not due to an overload of duties, but because of the limited time to take it all in. On June 26, Shukla made history by becoming the first Indian astronaut to set foot on the ISS.

 

Shukla admitted during a radio interaction with Indian school students that despite the thrill and importance of the mission, winding down proved unexpectedly hard.

 

“The most difficult task is going to sleep — not due to noise or discomfort, but simply because you’re so aware of how limited your time is. You want to experience and accomplish as much as possible,” he shared.

 

 

When asked if he shared Indian food items like amras, moong dal halwa, and gajar ka halwa, specially developed by DRDO and Isro, with his fellow astronauts, the 39-year-old said, “I must tell you that everybody here loved it. We all sat together and shared food from our respective countries — it was a truly special moment. The Indian dishes were not only appreciated for their taste, but also for bringing a sense of home to space.” 

Collaboration beyond borders, says Shubhanshu Shukla

Reflecting on the dynamic launch and the experience of space travel, Shukla said, “The rocket ascent was extremely fast. You feel strong accelerations — especially as the second stage propels you to nearly 8 kilometres per second.”

 

Yet, what moved him most was the view of the earth from above. “It is vast, it is stunning, and it reminds you just how lucky we are to be on this planet,” he said.

 

Shukla also noted the value of working with astronauts from diverse nations. “The Axiom-4 mission is a true example of global collaboration — combining technology, cultures and knowledge,” he said.

Shukla sets record, logs most days in space by an Indian

 

By July 3, Shubhanshu Shukla had spent over nine days in orbit, surpassing the record previously held by Rakesh Sharma, who was in space for seven days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes during the 1984 Soviet Interkosmos programme. 

 

Group Captain Shukla’s participation in Axiom-4 marks a significant chapter in India's space journey.

 

During the mission, Shukla is conducting seven indigenous experiments and five collaborative studies with Nasa. “All the experiments are fascinating, but I find the one on stem cells particularly interesting,” he said. The microgravity environment, he explained, provides a unique platform for cellular research that could have far-reaching implications for both space science and healthcare on the earth.

 

Launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 26, the Axiom-4 mission includes Commander Peggy Whitson (USA), Shukla as pilot, and mission specialists Slawosz Uzna?"ski-Wiśniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary). Since docking, the crew has completed over 113 orbits around the earth, covering more than 2.9 million miles — nearly twelve times the distance to the moon.