Exclusive | Be Excited And Curious: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Message To Gen Z On India's Space Journey

By Sivaramakrishna

Hyderabad: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Thursday said that India's Gen Z needs to actively participate in the nation's space journey, which will in turn contribute towards the goal of developed India or Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Shukla, the first ISRO astronaut to visit the International Space Station, was present as a guest at the inauguration ceremony of Indian space start-up Skyroot Aerospace Infinity Campus held in Hyderabad's Raviryal on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Infinity Campus via video conferencing on Thursday. The state-of-the-art facility will have around 2,00,000 square feet of workspace for designing, developing, integrating and testing multiple launch vehicles, with a capacity to build one orbital rocket every month.

Speaking to ETV Bharat on the sidelines of the event, Shukla spoke about his training, the ISS project and his message to the youngsters looking to make space science their future.

ETV Bharat: Sir, how do you see your journey from being an IAF pilot to an ISS Astronaut?

Subhanshu Shukla: No specific thoughts. I was serving as a test pilot when the opportunity came. There wasn't any deliberative thought at that time. It was an instinctive decision. Everyone's dream is to expand from sky to space. When that opportunity opened up, I just applied.

ETB: You were trained in Russia, India and the US—which part was the toughest?

Subhanshu Shukla: Training was challenging. We were trained in Russia, and we came to India, and then we went to the US. Training is about achieving a similar objective-- preparing people to go to space. It was done differently at different places. But the overall objective remains the same.

ETB: What was the toughest time when you were at the ISS?

Subhanshu Shukla: I think the first few days were challenging as the body was not feeling good. One had to work as we were there for a short duration. So the first two to three days were challenging. After that, the body gets used to the space environment.

ETB: What suggestions you want to would you give to youngsters, especially Gen Z?

Subhanshu Shukla: My suggestion to them is to be excited and curious. India is on its path to great achievements in space journey. It will be a big contributor towards the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. My message to the youth is: Be excited and be a part of this and actively participate in this. Assume the responsibility and think of it as your job to take India from here to Viksit Bharat 2047.

Read More:

1. Aspirations Of Indians Reaching Skies: PM Modi Inaugurates Space Start-Up Skyroot's Infinity Campus In Hyderabad
2. India’s Space Future Is in Your Hands: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Urges Students to Aim High