India is beaming with pride

Subhanshu Shukla’s return from space has left India beaming with pride on the global stage. It was a journey that undoubtedly demonstrated the immense superiority of science and technology. When the Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific after an 18-day stay at the International Space Station, history was made as Shukla emerged as the first Indian to have returned after a successful stay in ISS.

It was on the 25th of last month that Subhanshu Shukla and his team left for the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. They were part of the Axiom 4 mission. ISRO had prepared facilities, including a big screen at City Montessori School in Lucknow, where Subhanshu studied.

For the next seven days, the Indian astronaut will be at the Johnson Space Centre in Texas for medical observation. Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that Subhanshu will reach India by the 17th of next month. His experience will be put to good use for ISRO’s future projects.

The last Indian to travel to space was on April 3, 1984. Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma, along with two Soviet colleagues, arrived at the Salyut 7 space station aboard the Soviet Union's Soyuz Tll spacecraft. He orbited the Earth for eight days. But the distinction of being the Indian who spent the most time in space can now be claimed only by Subhanshu. It required four decades after the historic first journey for an Indian to yet again embark on a space mission. As Subhanshu said in his farewell note from ISS, India’s forward journey and exploration in space will be arduous, but it has begun.

The world is aware of ISRO's excellence in the field of space and in missions to the Moon and Mars. India's missions are the most cost-effective and at the same time extremely successful, which can be understood from the scores of countries approaching ISRO to launch their satellites.

Subhanshu’s journey will be useful in raising scientific awareness in society and attracting the new generation to the field of space research. The Indian astronaut had said that when he looked from space, he saw a shining earth without borders, without separate countries, without states. However, upon setting foot on earth, he saw a world that was divided and at war.