"India Looks Good From All Sides": Shubhanshu Shukla To NDTV

Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has described his journey to space as a transformative experience filled with challenges, emotional moments, and immense national pride.

Shukla was honoured as the ‘Science Icon of the Year' at the NDTV Indian of the Year 2025 awards in Delhi, where he spoke about the mission that took him beyond Earth and what followed after his return.

Seeing India from orbit was unforgettable, Shukla said, adding, “India still looks good from all sides. It is really beautiful sight”. Yet, he stressed that adjusting to life in space and back on Earth took a toll on the body. After spending 20 days in orbit, he needed about a week to feel “almost normal” again.

Returning home, he was met with public euphoria. “It is very heartening to see that,” he said. Among his fondest memories was returning to Lucknow, where he grew up. He reflected on classroom visits and speaking to students.

His mission was not without complications. There was an oxygen leak in the booster, an extended quarantine due to issues on the International Space Station (ISS), and delays caused by wind data not loading onto the rocket. 

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“Your training is designed around this concept that you have to be ready for the unpredictable,” he said. With “600 tons of fuel” beneath them, trust in the entire team became essential. “That kind of trust is required to be able to say, ‘I am confident enough to be doing this',” he said.

Despite the scares, he never doubted the mission. Launching from the historic Pad 39A, where Neil Armstrong once took off, added to his confidence. As the seconds ticked down and data finally uploaded to the system, all he hoped for was to avoid another quarantine. “I was just praying. I don't want to go back to the quarantine again.”

His stay aboard the ISS was both overwhelming and thrilling. Days were packed with science experiments, outreach and media engagements, often stretching to “12-13-hour workdays.” Even then, he said, “I thoroughly enjoyed my time in space. I actually told [my wife] that I really don't feel like coming back.”

Describing the ISS, he said it is a scientific laboratory “moving around the earth at around 7.5 km per second,” roughly the size of a football field. Looking back at Earth from the window, he said, offered “no more beautiful sight,” and added, “But it's hard work.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also set high expectations for the future. “He gave me homework right when I was in space,” Shukla said, acknowledging that enabling India's human space mission is “extremely complex and challenging.”

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The country's priorities include Mission Gaganyaan and, eventually, a space station and lunar landing. Work is underway for the first uncrewed flight, targeted for “somewhere in next year,” Shukla said.

Regarding India's planned space station, the Bhartiya Antarik Station, he said, “A lot of work has already started,” with discussions underway on its configuration.

Reflecting on the spiritual dimension of space, he said that the experience put humanity's place in the universe into perspective. From that vantage point, “The sheer size of the Earth just baffles you.”

Asked whether he preferred the cockpit or space, he said, “I prefer to be an astronaut when there is a flight. But in the intervening period, I prefer flying in the cockpit.”