Page 2 - India Space Mission

Shubhanshu Shukla gets hero's welcome in Lucknow after historic space feat

Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla returned to his hometown Lucknow on Monday to a rousing reception after becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station. Although he arrived in India from the US on August 17, he is visiting the Uttar Pradesh capital now after participating in multiple outreach events, including a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 18. Family members, including his parents Shambhu and Asha Shukla, wife Kamna, and son Kiash, were present at the airport to greet him. They were joined by cheering crowds waving the tricolour and chanting "Vande Mataram". Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, a troupe played drums and trumpets, while students from Shukla's alma mater, City Montessori School (CMS), came dressed in vibrant costumes representing space missions and celestial objects. CMS manager Geeta Gandhi Kingdon was among those personally welcoming the school's celebrated alumnus. From the airport, Shukla embarked on a

Survival tests, kayaking: 'Shux' shares Ax-4 mission preparation details

Undergoing survival tests in simulated environment, learning photography to document space experiences and a team kayaking off the Mexican coast to foster camaraderie -- these were some of the activities that the crew of Axiom-4 had engaged in before setting off on the mission, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla said. During an event hosted by the Indian Air Force on Sunday, Group Captain Shukla, who goes by the callsign 'Shux', shared his experiences and challenges he faced while being part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and the training he underwent prior to it. After several postponements, the Dragon spacecraft carrying him and other three astronauts was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in the US on June 25. "It was so powerful, it literally shakes every bone in your body. You are going from 0 km/hr to 28,500 km/hr in 8.5 minutes, and that speaks about the magnitude of it," Shukla recalled the intensity of the lift-off experience. As the spacecraf

India to launch more than 100 satellites over next 15 years: Jitendra Singh

India plans to launch more than 100 satellites over the next 15 years, and it will be a mix of government technology missions and private sector-led operational missions, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said here on Saturday. He also released a roadmap for the space sector for the next 15 years during the second National Space Day celebrations in the presence of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan, INSPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka and four astronauts short-listed for the Gaganyaan mission. Singh said the roadmap will guide India's space journey to 2040 and beyond, supporting the vision of Viksit Bharat by leveraging space technology for food and water security, disaster resilience, environmental sustainability and inclusive growth. He said India's space programme has entered a transformative phase, where it is no longer confined to symbolic achievements but has become a vital contributor to the country's scientific progress, technological ...

PM Modi calls for 'deep space explorations' on National Space Day

PM Modi outlines India's space ambitions on National Space Day, including Chandrayaan-4, Venus Orbiter, Bhartiya Space Station, and Moon mission by 2040

Datanomics: Hits and misses as India celebrates Space Day on August 23

Space research capex yet to hit pre-Covid level

Very soon, someone from our own soil will go to space in our rocket: Shukla

On his Axiom-4 Mission, Shukla said the experience from the ISS mission would be very useful for India's own Gaganyaan mission, and he learnt a lot in the past year as part of his mission

PM Modi meets astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla after historic space mission

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla who became the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla, who was part of the Axiom-4 commercial mission to the ISS from June 25-July 15, met the prime minister at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence. Modi welcomed Shukla, who was wearing an ISRO astronaut's jacket, with a warm hug and walked with him with his arm on the astronaut's shoulder. Shukla also gifted the prime minister the mission patch of the Axiom-4 mission. The Lucknow-born astronaut also shared pictures he had taken from the ISS with Modi. Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission that lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station on June 26. He returned to Earth on 15 July. Shukla returned to India on Sunday. Along with three other astronauts -- Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) -- Shukla conducted over 60 experim

Shubhanshu Shukla returns Sunday after historic space mission, to meet PM

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to return to India on Sunday after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS) and is eager to share his experiences with friends and colleagues back home as ISRO eyes its maiden human spaceflight in 2027. Shukla, who has been in the US, training for the Axiom-4 mission to ISS for the past one year, is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and travel to his hometown Lucknow soon after. He is expected to be back in the capital to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on August 22-23. Shukla posted on Instagram a smiling photograph of himself sitting in an aeroplane, and said in its caption that he was filled with mixed emotions as he left the US and could not wait to return to India to share his experiences with everyone back home. "As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family f

Shubhanshu calls his space mission start of India's second space orbit

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Friday described his journey to space as the beginning of India's "second orbit" with the aim to lead in the area of human spaceflight. Addressing a virtual press conference, Shukla and his co-travellers of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station shared their experiences of living in microgravity and conducting experiments that would help humanity. "In a realm like space exploration, in decades of global collaboration, the moment in this mission that stood out for me was speaking to the prime minister of Bharat while the Indian flag floated behind me," Shukla said. He said that moment symbolised India's re-entry into the conversation, not as a spectator but as an equal participant. "After 41 years, a Bharatiya returned to space. But this time, it was not a solitary leap, it was the beginning of India's second orbit. And this time, we are ready, not just to fly but to lead," Shukla said. Shukla became the second Indian to travel to spac

Eye in the sky: Nasa-Isro joint mission NISAR to launch on Wednesday

The imaging technology in Nisar will be able to provide very high-resolution data on changes as small as one centimetre in size on Earth's surface

India must triple its satellites, build space station by 2035: Isro chief

Isro targets 52 new satellites and 12 launches in 2025, with space station module set for 2028; India's space economy poised to hit $44 bn by 2033

PM Modi calls Monsoon Session 'celebration of victory', cites Op Sindoor

Calling the Monsoon session a 'victory celebration', Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed India's ISS mission, operation Sindoor's success, and anti-Naxal push

PM Modi hails Shubhanshu Shukla's return after historic space mission

Shubhanshu Shukla and three other astronauts returned aboard the Dragon 'Grace' spacecraft, which splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California, after a 22.5-hour journey from space

Shubhanshu Shukla to enter 7-day rehab after splashdown on Earth on July 15

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will return to Earth on July 15 after 18 days aboard the ISS; Isro says he will undergo a 7-day rehab to help adapt to Earth's gravity post splashdown

Shubhanshu Shukla's family speaks with him, awaits his return from space

The family of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA's Axiom-4 mission, on Friday expressed joy and pride after speaking to him, and said they are eagerly awaiting his safe return on July 14. Speaking to PTI Videos from their Lucknow residence, Shubhanshu's father Shambhu Dayal Shukla said the family is relieved to know that the mission is proceeding smoothly. "Everything is fine in space. It felt great to see that his mission is going well. He showed us where he works, where he sleeps, his lab, and how his daily routine looks like," he said. "We felt very happy after talking to him. He explained everything to us very clearly. We are also doing well here and are eagerly looking forward to welcoming him back. Our entire family and extended relatives are happy and waiting for his return," he added. Shubhanshu's mother Asha Shukla said she was especially moved by the visuals her son shared from space. "He told us how beauti

Isro successfully conducts hot tests of Gaganyaan propulsion system

ISRO has successfully conducted two hot tests of the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) at the space agency's Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri on July 3. The short-duration tests, lasting 30 seconds and 100 seconds respectively, were aimed at validating the test article configuration, ISRO said in a statement on Wednesday. "The overall performance of the propulsion system during these hot tests was normal as per pre-test predictions. During the 100s test, simultaneous operation of all Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters in different modes (steady state; pulsed) along with all Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) engines was also successfully demonstrated. "ISRO's Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC) is leading the technology development activities for the Gaganyaan SMPS. SMPS is a critical system of Gaganyaan Orbital Module and is required during orbital manoeuvring as well as specific abort scenarios," the space agency said. It comprises five Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM)

Shubhanshu Shukla explores bone health, radiation effects on the ISS

After a day off, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and others from the Axiom-4 mission on Saturday studied how bones react to microgravity conditions, an experiment that could lead to better treatment of osteoporosis on Earth. On the 10th flight day, Shukla also participated in an experiment to monitor radiation exposure on the International Space Station (ISS), which could help better protect astronauts on longer-duration space missions away from Earth. Lucknow-born Shukla (39) is part of a 14-day mission to the ISS conducted by Axiom Space. Shukla, who has the call sign "Shux", is the mission pilot, while veteran US astronaut Peggy Whitson is the commander of the mission. Hungarian Tibor Kapu and Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski are mission specialists. "Shux deployed samples for the Space Micro Algae investigation. These tiny organisms might one day help sustain life in space, providing food, fuel, and even breathable air. But first, we need to understand how they grow and

Exciting to see Earth from vantage point of ISS: Shubhanshu Shukla

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Friday said he and fellow astronauts on the International Space Station relished 'aam ras', 'gajar ka halwa', 'moong dal halwa' and delicacies from other countries as he completed a week on board the orbital lab. Shukla, who docked at the ISS on June 26 as part of the Axiom-4 mission, completed a week on the ISS and got a day off, which he spent connecting with family and friends back on Earth. The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew, which includes Shukla and three other astronauts, completed 113 orbits around the Earth by the end of July 3, clocking over 4.66 million km, which is equivalent to nearly 12 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. "It was a good moment. We got food from different countries and got to share it with all the crew," Shukla, who has the call sign Shux', said in a brief interaction with scientists at the URSC, Bengaluru over HAM radio connection. On Thursday, Shukla also became the Indian astronaut with the longest stay in space, .

Astronaut 634 Shubhanshu Shukla: Shux blends science, sweets and space

Shubhanshu Shukla'S first seven days on the Ax-4 have combined science, ceremony, and moments of levity

Shubhanshu Shukla conducts stem cell study on ISS, records digestion video

Group Captain Shukla also recorded an educational video for Indian school students explaining how the human digestive system adapts in space