New Delhi, August 20: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the country’s upcoming human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, has generated significant international interest, with scientists and fellow astronauts keen to be part of it, officials said on Tuesday.
Shukla, who recently returned from the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission, shared his experiences of adapting to microgravity and carrying out experiments aboard the orbital lab during his interaction with Modi on Monday evening.
“Many of my crew mates wanted to know about the launch of the Gaganyaan mission,” Shukla said, adding that several had even taken signed declarations from him, seeking an invitation to witness India’s maiden human spaceflight.
Modi praised Shukla’s mission and called it a stepping stone for India’s future space ambitions. He said India needed to prepare a pool of 40 to 50 astronauts for upcoming programmes. India plans to launch its first human spaceflight in 2027, set up its own space station by 2035 and land an astronaut on the moon by 2040.
