"This dream will be fulfilled soon": Group Captain Shukla on Gaganyaan mission

New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), expressed strong optimism about India's human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, during an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
"I think this dream will be fulfilled very soon," Group Captain Shukla said, referring to the Gaganyaan mission, adding that the experiences he is gaining aboard the ISS through the Axiom 4 mission will play a valuable role in advancing India's future space endeavours.
"The lessons that I have learnt during my journey and my experiences, I have been absorbing them like a sponge, and I am sure that all these things will prove to be very valuable and very important for us when I come back," he said.
Group Captain Shukla mentioned that even his international crewmates on the ISS were curious about
Gaganyaan mission.
"My colleagues who had come with me also asked me when we can go to Gaganyaan, I felt very good to hear this, and I said soon... We will be able to effectively apply these lessons in our missions and complete them as quickly as possible... whatever I am learning here, I will try to come back and apply it 100 per cent in my mission and complete them as soon as possible," he added.
India's first human Space mission "Gaganyaan" programme has entered its final phase, with the first human spaceflight now scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
During the interaction, Group Captain Shukla also touched on India's broader space ambitions, noting that this mission was only " a first step of that big race".
"I believe somewhere that India is already running, and this mission is only a step of that big race. We are definitely moving ahead and, in space, we will have our own stations and many people will reach there," he stated.
He emphasised the importance of mindfulness in high-pressure environments. "There are many situations which are normal even during training or launch which are very stressful, and with mindfulness, you are able to keep yourself calm in those situations... You are able to make good decisions."
Reflecting on the transition from Earth to space, he explained how microgravity changes everything.
"Everything is different here. We trained for the last one year. I knew about all the systems, all the processes, and the experiments. But as soon as I came here, suddenly everything changed. Our body gets so used to living in gravity... After coming here...so even small things become very difficult. While talking to you right now, I have tied my legs; otherwise, I would go up," he explained.
Group Captain Shukla also shared a heartfelt message for India's youth, noting that there might be many ways to success, but one should not quit and never stop trying on those journeys.
"If I want to give any message to our young generation today, then I would first tell you that the direction in which India is going, we have taken a very bold and very high step. We have seen dreams, and to fulfil those dreams, we need all of you to fulfil the need," he said.
"There is no one way to success... but one thing that is common in every path is that you should never try to quit; never stop trying. If you adopt this basic mantra, you can be on any path and anywhere. But if you never give up, success will come today or tomorrow. But it will come; I am sure of that," the Group Captain added.
Group Captain Shukla is serving as Mission Pilot on the four-member Axiom Mission 4, which launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
Axiom 4 mission aboard the Dragon spacecraft successfully docked at the ISS on Thursday, ahead of schedule, autonomously docking at 4:05 pm (IST) to the space-facing port of the space station's Harmony module.
The Ax-4 crew was welcomed by the seven-member Expedition 73 team at the ISS and took part in a safety briefing.
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 are part of the crew for the Axiom 4 mission. (ANI)