City
Epaper

A day of 16 sunrises and sunsets: Indian astronaut describes life on ISS

By IANS | Updated: June 28, 2025 20:43 IST

New Delhi, June 28 A little while ago, when I looked out of the window, we were passing ...

Open in App

New Delhi, June 28 A little while ago, when I looked out of the window, we were passing over Hawaii. From here, we see sunrise and sunset 16 times a day, said Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to enter the International Space Station (ISS), during a video interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

Shukla, who became only the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s historic journey in 1984, reached the ISS on Thursday as part of the international Axiom-4 mission.

He travelled aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft ‘Grace’, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, completing a 28-hour journey through low Earth orbit.

Shubhanshu Shukla was warmly welcomed by the ISS crew after docking was completed at 4:15 pm IST.

In his interaction with the Prime Minister, Shukla reflected on his experience so far, calling it transformative.

“This is not just my journey, but also our country's journey. I am absorbing these new experiences like a sponge,” he said, speaking from the orbiting laboratory where he will spend the next 14 days conducting scientific experiments and public outreach.

Describing the view of Earth from space, Shukla said: “When I saw the Earth from space, the first thing that struck me was that the planet is truly one — no borders are visible. When I saw India, it looked incredibly grand, much larger and more majestic than it appears on a map.”

The astronaut added that seeing the Earth from above gave him a sense of unity beyond man-made divisions, calling it a humbling and inspiring perspective.

Shukla is joined on the mission by Axiom-4 commander Peggy Whitson, Polish engineer Slawosz Wisniewski, and Hungarian mechanical engineer Tibor Kapu.

Shortly after entering the station, the crew was greeted with hugs, handshakes, and astronaut pins.

“I am astronaut 634. It is a privilege to be here,” said Shukla.

In his brief address during the welcome ceremony, he said: “With your love and blessings, I have reached the International Space Station. It looks easy to stand here, but my head is a little heavy, facing some difficulty, but these are minor issues.”

Expressing his pride, he added, "I have brought the Tricolour with me, and I have brought all of you along with me. In the days to come, this journey will become even more exciting."

--IANS

brt/dan

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Open in App

Related Stories

NationalSenior Congress leader Rameshwar Dudi passes away; funeral in Bikaner today

BusinessHOMETHON Property Expo 2025 sets a positive tone for the festive season

MumbaiMumbai: 44-Year-Old Man Held in ₹5.72 Crore Gold Coin Fraud Case in Goregaon

EntertainmentRobert Pattinson: I genuinely enjoy hanging out with babies

NationalHeavy rain forecast for 14 TN districts, fishermen advised to stay ashore

National Realted Stories

National'Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar': Nadda hails record outreach, calls it 'historic milestone'

NationalJ&K Crime Branch registers case in NHM selection list 'fraud'

NationalUP Police deployed outside LoP Mata Prasad Pandey’s house in Lucknow amid plans to visit Bareilly

NationalFrom handicraft to tourism, GST rejig to boost J&K’s economy

NationalVedanta teaches that nothing needs to change for you to be happy: Padma Shri Acharya Jonas Masetti