India still 'Saare Jahan Se Achha'! Shubhanshu is set to come back

NEW YORK: Looking down from space, India still appears as “Saare Jahan Se Achha” (the best in the world), said Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla. He was speaking yesterday at a farewell ceremony organised by researchers aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The words “Saare Jahan Se Achha” were also famously quoted by Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, when he looked down at India during his 1984 mission.

Describing the mission as both unbelievable and magical, Shubhanshu said he is returning to Earth with many memories, which he looks forward to sharing with the people of India.

The Axiom-4 space mission, which includes Shubhanshu as part of its four-member crew, is scheduled to return to Earth tomorrow. The crew capsule, Crew Dragon Grace, will land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 3 PM IST. The capsule is set to undock from the International Space Station today at 4:35 PM IST. Shubhanshu and the team had arrived at the ISS on June 26.