Shubhanshu Shukla returning to Earth soon. Here’s a recap of his 18 days onboard ISS

As his space expedition concludes, here’s a recap of his 18-day-long journey onboard ISS.

Farewell speech

On Sunday, the eve of the commencement of the Axiom-4 crew’s return journey to Earth, Shukla evoked fellow astronaut Rakesh Sharma’s line during the 1984 space odyssey and said today’s India still looks ‘saare Jahan se acha’ and added “India looks ambitious from space, today’s India looks fearless, today’s India looks confident, today’s India looks full of pride.” During the farewell speech along with fellow astronauts, he said, “Our journey ahead into space exploration may be long and arduous, but it has begun.”

‘Privilege to see Earth from vantage point’

Shukla, who conducted experiments on space microalgae, was live for the second and final time on ham radio on July 8 and remarked it was a privilege to be amongst the few who have had the chance to see the Earth from a vantage point. In a video posted on X handle, Shukla highlighted the significance of the mission and how it was expanding access to low Earth orbit (LEO) for countries to achieve their space exploration goals, leading to advancements for Earth. He also said how physical fitness is key to astronauts while at the ISS and that the orbiting observatory offers a mini gym for the astronauts. Shukla shared that his body, too, faced space sickness soon after reaching the ISS.

Calls ISRO chief

As Shukla called V Narayanan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation, he acknowledged the efforts of team ISRO in ensuring his safe travel to ISS. While Narayanan expressed his keen interest in Shukla’s well-being, he shared updates on the progress of the experiments and activities carried out on the space station.

Challenging experiments left him sleepless

In his first interaction with students from Thiruvananthapuram and Lucknow on ham radio on July 4, Shukla had a light-hearted conversation with the students he and narrated how difficult it was to sleep — not just because he was in space but owing to the excitement and wanting to do more and more experiments. Shukla, who showed students his sleeping bag, said, “I am doing a lot of experiments and these are challenging and exciting. All of these experiments have been planned by ISRO-NASA. But there are a few that I particularly like, especially the one on stem cells. We know there is limited time (onboard the ISS) but we want to do more and more (experiments). But we need to get rest to do the experiments.”

Before that, his smiling photographs emerged from the cupola or the Earth-viewing vantage point and the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) test pilot reiterated that looking back at the earth was beautiful and that it was an amazing experience.

Close to heart of countrymen, PM Modi tells Shukla

Three days after Shukla ventured into space along with three other astronauts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with him and Shukla aka Shux discussed everything from pride he took in putting up the national flag on ISS, experiments onboard ISS, challenges of living in microgravity, in detail. PM Modi said he is close to the heart of his countrymen. “Your name has the word ‘shubh’ in it and your journey is the ‘shubharambh’ of a new age,” he said.

The Air Force Group Captain also informed the Prime Minister that he had shared the ‘gajar ka halwa’, ‘moong daal halwa’, and ‘aamras’ with his fellow astronauts. “I wanted others to taste and experience the rich culinary heritage of India. And they really enjoyed it,” he said.

Axiom-4 mission takes off

Pilot Shukla — along with the commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary — entered the ISS on June 25. The Axiom-4 mission carrying the astronauts lifted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, after facing several delays due to technical problems, inclement weather, and a leak on the ISS. Themed ‘Realise the Return’, this is the first stint of the astronauts from three countries on the ISS.

Shukla’s family interacted with Israeli astronaut before expedition

More than a month before the expedition, Shukla’s family in Lucknow had an unusual company for dinner: Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe and he narrated everything on the space journey to his parents, alleviating their fears. Over a three-course dinner that lasted 3-4 hours at a hotel in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar, Stibbe — who was part of the historic Axiom-1 (Ax-1) mission to the ISS in 2022 – told Shukla’s parents Shambhu Dayal Shukla and Asha, and sister Suchi, everything they needed to know: how astronauts lived, what they ate, how they slept, what they did, and how they spent their time at the ISS.