From One Space Hero To Another: Rakesh Sharma’s Message To Shubhanshu Shukla — ‘Look Out...’

Last Updated:June 25, 2025, 13:34 IST

Born in Lucknow in 1985, Shukla went on to graduate from the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2006

Rakesh Sharma (Left) and Shubhanshu Shukla (right)

Rakesh Sharma, India’s first space hero, on Wednesday wished Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as the latter lifted off into space on board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) in Florida.

Sharma, who became the first Indian to travel to space in 1984, said Shukla and his fellow astronauts should spend “as much time as possible to look out of the window".

“Wishing you all the very best. To the crew, godspeed, and spend as much time as possible to look out of the window. Have fun time, guys," Sharma said in a video posted by the news agency PTI.

All About Shubhanshu Shukla

Born in Lucknow in 1985 and educated from Montessori through Class 12 at CMS Aliganj, Shukla went on to graduate from the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2006. With over 2,000 hours of flight experience on elite combat aircraft, he was selected in 2019 for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and later chosen as the pilot for Ax-4.

Sharing the capsule with NASA senior Dr. Peggy Whitson (mission commander) and astronauts from Hungary and Poland, the 39-year-old’s 14-day mission as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space will contribute to microgravity research in areas including human physiology, nutrition, and seed germination in space.

Saurabh Verma

Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19

Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19

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News india From One Space Hero To Another: Rakesh Sharma’s Message To Shubhanshu Shukla — ‘Look Out...’