Follow Us
In his reply to PM Modi, Shubhanshu said that the Axiom-4 mission not only belonged to him but the whole of India.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Axiom-4 Mission Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station, on Saturday, June 28. In his address, PM Modi said that Shubhanshu might be away from his motherland, but is closest to the hearts of Indians. “Your name itself signifies auspiciousness, and your journey marks the auspicious beginning of a new era,” he added.
"At this time only the two of us are talking, but the feelings of 140 crore Indians are also with me. My voice contains the enthusiasm and excitement of all Indians. I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to you for hoisting our flag in Space. Is everything fine there? Are you well?…" PM Modi asked.
In reply, Shubhanshu thanked PM Modi and said that the journey not only belonged to him but the whole nation. "I am fine and safe here. I am feeling very good, this is a new experience...This journey is not only mine but the journey of the whole nation...Under your leadership, today's India offers numerous opportunities to fulfil their dreams...I am feeling very proud to represent India here," he added.
Related Articles
‘India looks grand from space’
During his interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla, PM Modi asked him to share his first thought after reaching Space. "The first view was of the Earth and after seeing the Earth from outside, the first thought and the first thing that came to mind was that the Earth looks completely one, no border is visible from outside. When we saw India for the first time, we saw that India really looks very grand, looks very big, much bigger than what we see on the map... When we see the Earth from outside, it seems that no border exists, no state exists, no countries exist. We all are part of humanity, and the Earth is our one home, and all of us are in it," Shubhanshu replied.
PM Modi also asked him about the conditions in space and how Shubhanshu was adapting to it. "Everything is different here. We trained for a year and I learnt about different systems...but after coming here, everything changed...Here, even small things are different because there is no gravity in space...Sleeping here is a big challenge...It takes some time to get used to this environment," he added.
ISRO congratulates Axiom-4 mission
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) congratulated Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX as the Dragon Spacecraft carrying Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS). The Axiom Mission 4 spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on June 26 at 16:15 hrs IST, marking a significant achievement in global space exploration.
ISRO mentioned that a team led by the Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO, V Narayanan, witnessed the historic moment in the Mission Control Room at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston.
Axiom 4 mission aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully docked at the International Space Station on Thursday. The Dragon spacecraft was ahead of schedule, autonomously docking at 4:05 pm (IST) to the space-facing port of the space station's Harmony module.NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers monitored Dragon's automated approach and docking manoeuvres.
Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, ESA (European Space Agency) astronauts Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary lifted off at Noon IST on June 25, on the SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
(With inputs from ANI)
