India’s first Gaganyatri, Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission, spoke to ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan on the afternoon of July 6, 2025. During the telephonic conversation, Shukla thanked the Indian space agency for enabling his safe and successful journey to space, saying, “Salute to team ISRO.” The call covered key updates on the scientific experiments being conducted on the ISS, as well as Shukla’s well-being in microgravity. The ISRO Chairman emphasized the need to meticulously document all activities post-mission, as the insights would play a vital role in shaping India’s Gaganyaan program, which aims to launch Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit using indigenous capabilities.
Shubhanshu Shukla’s ISS mission: A conversation to guide Gaganyaan
ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan commended Shubhanshu Shukla’s efforts and emphasized the mission’s strategic value. He highlighted how the knowledge and experience gained aboard the ISS would directly inform the development and execution of Gaganyaan, India’s first indigenous crewed space mission. The Chairman also encouraged detailed documentation of all experiments, observations, and challenges to serve as critical input for ISRO’s ongoing human spaceflight initiatives.
ISRO leadership joins the interaction
Several senior officials from ISRO participated in the call, including Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and Chairman of the Program Management Council for the Human Space Programme; Shri M. Mohan, Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC); Shri Padmakumar E.S., Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU); Shri M. Ganesh Pillai, Scientific Secretary of ISRO; and Shri N. Vedachalam, former Director of LPSC. They discussed the scope and status of the scientific experiments being carried out aboard the ISS and expressed their admiration for Shukla’s dedication and professionalism.
A Mission of national pride
During the interaction, Shubhanshu Shukla expressed deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ISRO for providing him the opportunity to represent India on the global stage. He shared updates on the scientific experiments and challenges of working in space, while acknowledging the tireless efforts of the ISRO team in preparing him for the mission. The Chairman assured him of the agency’s unwavering support and recalled regular pre-mission meetings where he guided and motivated Shukla personally.The Chairman also interacted regularly with Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, the designated standby astronaut for the Axiom-4 mission. His involvement ensured robust mission preparedness and contingency planning. The collaboration between ISRO and Axiom Space under this mission serves as a critical milestone as India inches closer to launching its first homegrown human spaceflight.
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