Shubhanshu Shukla Recalls Space Triumphs and Light-Hearted Moments from ISS Mission
Indian astronaut and IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, speaking on Saturday at the launch of his book The Second Orbit: Belief of a Man… Dreams of 1.4 Billion Hearts, shared experiences from his 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) last year as part of NASA's Axiom-4 mission.
Mr. Shukla became the first Indian to visit the ISS, marking India's return to human spaceflight four decades after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission. He noted that on July 4, 2025, he was in space, not on Earth, and that day he finally succeeded in a challenging STEM demonstration assigned by ISRO.
He explained that the task involved creating a water bubble, injecting an air bubble inside it, and then a coffee bubble inside the air bubble—all in microgravity. After struggling for five days, he achieved it on July 4, 2025. “I was so happy that this could finally be achieved on this day,” he said.
The astronaut also described capturing his first photograph of the entire Earth from the ISS cupola window using a special lens. He emphasized that such achievements were possible only because of a large team on the ground. “When we send someone to space, it takes thousands of people, and every single one of them matters,” he stated. He said the book is not a celebration of individual achievement but highlights the importance of teamwork in accomplishing monumental tasks.
Reflecting on why he wrote the book, Mr. Shukla said he realized soon after returning to India that he could not personally share his story everywhere, so a book was a good way to reach many people.
He also shared a humorous incident from the mission. During the nearly 22-hour journey from orbit to docking with the ISS, the crew had time to sleep. While his crewmates strapped themselves to their seats, Mr. Shukla chose to squeeze beneath a seat. Feeling cold, he slipped into a large black bag meant for storing spacesuits, going in up to his shoulders and sleeping comfortably. However, in zero gravity, his body drifted, and when his crewmates woke, they saw four bags and only three crew members. “For some time, it was a mystery—how can you lose someone in such a small capsule in space?” he said, drawing laughter.
Mr. Shukla noted that such light-hearted incidents, along with stories from fellow astronauts, are included in the book to provide a glimpse into the human side of life in space. He added that during his stay, he orbited Earth 320 times and traveled about 1.4 crore kilometers—roughly 100 meters for each of India’s 140 crore citizens.
