&w=3840&q=100)
India looks full of ambition, fearless from space: Shubhanshu Shukla
Press Trust of India New Delhi
India looks full of ambition, fearless, confident and full of pride from space, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla said on Sunday.
"Even today, Bharat looks 'saare jahan se accha' from above," Shukla said reprising the iconic words of India's first astronaut Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
Shukla was speaking at a farewell ceremony for Axiom-4 mission astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) who are set to begin their return journey to Earth on Monday.
"It almost seems magical to me... It has been a fantastic journey for me," Shukla said of his stay at the ISS which began on June 26.
The Indian astronaut said he was taking with him a lot of memories and learning that he will share with his countrymen.
The Axiom-4 mission undocks from the ISS on Monday and is expected to splash down off the California coast on Tuesday.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
20 minutes ago
- India Today
Shubhanshu Shukla undocks from Space Station, Ax-4 crew begins journey back home
Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), marking the beginning of his 21-hour-long journey back to who made history as the first Indian to visit the ISS, departed aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft at 4:35 pm IST today, alongside his fellow Axiom-4 (Ax-4) undocking process began with a heartfelt farewell ceremony, where Shukla reflected on his mission and India's growing presence in space. 'Today's India looks ambitious from space, fearless, confident, and full of pride Today's India still looks 'saare jahan se accha',' he said, echoing the words of India's first astronaut, Rakesh JOURNEY TO EARTH After undocking, the Dragon capsule will orbit the Earth several times as it gradually lowers its altitude in preparation for re-entry on crew will monitor spacecraft systems, conduct final medical checks, and prepare for the fiery descent through Earth's capsule is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California around 3:00 pm IST on July 15, where recovery teams will be waiting to retrieve the ACHIEVEMENTS IN SPACEDuring his 18-day stay aboard the ISS, Shukla participated in more than 60 scientific experiments, contributing to international research in biology, materials science, and artificial his key projects was the 'Sprouts Project,' which studied plant growth in microgravity—a crucial step toward sustainable food production for future deep-space also worked on experiments examining how human cells adapt to space, and tested AI-assisted robotics for station maintenance and data analysis. These studies are expected to benefit not only future space missions but also have applications on Earth, ranging from agriculture to healthcare and advanced AFTER SPLASHDOWNUpon splashdown, Shukla and his crewmates will be transported to a medical facility for a week-long rehabilitation exposure to microgravity can cause muscle atrophy, bone density loss, and changes in balance and coordination. The rehabilitation process will include physical therapy, medical monitoring, and gradual re-adaptation to Earth's crucial phase ensures the astronauts' safe and healthy return to normal successful mission is a proud milestone for India's space program and is expected to inspire a new generation of scientists and explorers as the country prepares for its upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.- EndsTune InMust Watch
India Today
20 minutes ago
- India Today
I am a water bender: Shubhanshu Shukla shows stunning water tricks in space. Watch
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station on Day 19 of his mission, stunned viewers with a playful display of physics-defying water tricks. Preparing to board the Dragon capsule with the rest of the Axiom-4 crew, Shukla took a moment to showcase the magical effects of zero gravity, calling himself a 'water bender' in space."It has been very exciting. We have been very busy up here doing all the experiments and activities that we had. The fantastic thing is whenever I have downtime, I go out to the window and take a lot of pictures,' Shukla said during a live interaction. advertisement'I have become a water bender here in space, Shukla said before floating a shimmering orb of water for the camera. Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, also aboard the mission, explained the science behind the spectacle, 'The water forms a ball in zero gravity because surface tension becomes much more dominant in the absence of gravity.'Shukla, the first Indian to visit the ISS and only the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma, will return to Earth with the multinational Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft around 4:30 pm today, Shukla shared his experience in a farewell ceremony."Today India looks ambitious, fearless, confident and proud from space, and India is still saare jahan se accha," Shux special farewell ceremony marked the conclusion of Shukla's historic mission. He described his mission as an "incredible journey" and emphasised that while his personal chapter in space exploration is ending, the journey of the Indian space agency is just beginning."If we come together, it is attainable," he said, urging continued unity and collaboration for future Axiom-4 crew, Commander Peggy Whitson from the USA, Sawosz Uznaski-Winiewski from Poland, Tibor Kapu from Hungary, India's Shubhanshu Shukla, will undock from the Space Station to begin their return journey to Earth in a short while. They will take 21 hours to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and splashdown on Tuesday.- Ends
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Shubhanshu Shukla, Axiom-4 crew undock from ISS, begin homeward journey
Twenty days after he lifted off to space in the Dragon (Grace) capsule aboard the Falcon-9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25, the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission crew, including Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla (Shux), successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday. The crew, which docked with the ISS and entered the orbital lab nineteen days ago, on June 26, completed the undocking at 4.45 pm. In his final message from the ISS during the Ax-4 farewell ceremony on Sunday (July 13), Shux had said in Hindi: ' Forty-one years ago, an Indian went to space and told us how India looked from space. And I'm sure all of us want to know how India looks today. Today's India looks ambitious, fearless, confident, filled with pride. And because of all of this, today's India still looks better than the whole world (Sare Jahan Se Accha).' 'I've had a fantastic journey,' Shukla said, addressing fellow Indians watching back home. 'As this journey completes, our [yours and mine] journey is long. India's human spaceflight journey is both long and challenging. But I assure you, if we decide, even the stars are attainable,' he told Indians. Shukla's message capped an eventful two-and-a-half weeks aboard the ISS, where the Ax-4 crew conducted scientific experiments, technology demonstrations, and education outreach activities. The crew also frequently found time to gaze back at Earth — a view that Shukla said 'almost seems magical.' Reflecting on his launch aboard SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket on June 25, Shukla said: 'I didn't imagine all of this when I started on the Falcon-9 on June 25. And I think it has been incredible because of the people involved. People standing behind me (referring to the Expedition 73 crew), have made it really special for us. It was an incredible joy to be here and work alongside professionals like you.' Shukla expressed gratitude to Isro , Axiom Space, Nasa , and SpaceX for making the mission possible, and acknowledged the students and researchers back home who contributed to the outreach and science programmes. '...I agree with Tibor [Kapu] that these missions have far reaching implications that go beyond science. And I believe it will do so in our country. I carry with me a lot of memories and learnings. But what stays with me most is what humanity can achieve when we all come together for a common goal,' he said. With the undocking complete, Grace will now see a few manoeuvres to enter a new orbit, which it is expected to maintain until conditions are optimal for further manoeuvres. When the conditions become optimal, SpaceX will command a deorbit burn — the most critical manoeuvre of the return — sometime post 2pm on Tuesday (July 15). Just before this, the spacecraft would jettison its trunk section, which houses solar panels and radiators. The deorbit burn will use onboard thrusters to slow the capsule down and drop it out of orbit. With that, the spacecraft is committed to Earth re-entry. As Grace begins plunging through the upper atmosphere at speeds near 28,000 km/h, it encounters intense friction that heats the exterior to over 1,900°C. A protective heat shield deflects this energy, keeping the cabin safe. During the hottest phase, the spacecraft is surrounded by ionised gases, leading to a brief communications blackout lasting around six to seven minutes. Once through the peak heating phase, the spacecraft slows rapidly. Around 5,500 metres above the ocean, two small drogue parachutes deploy to stabilise the vehicle. A few seconds later, four large main parachutes unfurl, significantly reducing the descent speed to a safe range of around 24–32 km/h. Grace then splashes down in the Ocean, usually within a predetermined recovery zone. Waiting nearby will be a SpaceX recovery ship equipped with fast boats carrying medical and technical teams. These teams are the first to reach the capsule, perform safety checks, and prepare it for lifting onto the ship using a hydraulic cradle. Once onboard, astronauts are carefully helped out of the capsule and given preliminary medical assessments. They are then transported back to land — usually via helicopter or ship — and taken for further medical evaluations, mission debriefs, and recovery procedures. Grace itself is expected to be later refurbished for potential reuse. The entire operation is designed for precision, safety, and efficiency, with most of the sequence being fully automated but capable of manual override if needed — and if it comes to this, it will be Shux's responsibility.
