Archive · 14 Jan 2026
Shubhanshu Shukla Honors Rakesh Sharma on Birthday
Shubhanshu Shukla, who went to space in 2025, celebrated Rakesh Sharma's 77th birthday.
Sharma was the first Indian in space in 1984.
Shukla shared photos on social media, one of him in space holding Sharma's picture, and another of them together on Earth.
Both trained at the National Defence Academy in Pune.
Shukla thanked Sharma for being his mentor and inspiring him to aim higher.
Sharma received India's highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashoka Chakra, in 1985.
Shukla's space mission was aboard the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station.
Shubhanshu Shukla posted a tribute to Rakesh Sharma on his 77th birthday.
Shukla carried a photograph of Sharma during his 2025 space mission to the ISS.
Both Shukla and Sharma trained at the National Defence Academy in Pune.
Sharma was the first Indian in space in 1984 aboard Soyuz T-11.
Shukla thanked Sharma for being his mentor and inspiring him.
- Who
- Shubhanshu Shukla and Rakesh Sharma
- What
- Shukla honored Sharma on his 77th birthday
- When
- January 13, 2026
- Where
- Hyderabad, India
- Why
- To pay tribute to Sharma, India's first astronaut
- Shubhanshu Shukla
- Second Indian in space, flew to ISS in 2025
- Rakesh Sharma
- First Indian in space, flew in 1984
- National Defence Academy
- Both trained at Pune
- Axiom-4 Mission
- Shukla's 2025 space mission
- Ashoka Chakra
- Awarded to Sharma in 1985
- Soyuz T-11
- Sharma's 1984 spaceflight
- International Space Station
- Shukla's destination in 2025
