NEW DELHI: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India’s Gaganyaan mission is generating significant global interest, with scientists eager to contribute.
During an interaction with the Prime Minister on Monday evening, Shukla shared insights from his journey to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission, discussing his adaptation to microgravity and the experiments he conducted aboard the orbital laboratory.
A video of the conversation was released on Tuesday. “There is tremendous excitement about India’s Gaganyaan mission. Many of my Axiom-4 crewmates were curious about the launch,” Shukla said.
He added, “Several of my crew even obtained signed declarations from me, hoping to be invited to the Gaganyaan launch. They expressed interest in traveling on our vehicle.”
Prime Minister Modi highlighted the need to prepare a pool of 40-50 astronauts for India’s upcoming space missions. “I had mentioned that your mission is the first step,” he said, emphasizing India’s broader ambitions in space.
Modi noted that Shukla’s ISS mission would support the country’s future space endeavors. India plans its first human spaceflight in 2027, aims to establish its own space station by 2035, and envisions landing an Indian astronaut on the moon by 2040.
