Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who conducted seven microgravity experiments during his stay on the International Space Station (ISS), said the research would play a key role in India’s upcoming space initiatives, including the Gaganyaan mission and future lunar projects. He was felicitated by chief minister Yogi Adityanath at Lok Bhavan, where he spoke about his space experience after the event.

Among the 60 experiments conducted on the ISS, seven were designed in India. These included studies on tardigrades, human muscle regeneration, methi and moong seed sprouting, cyanobacteria and microalgae growth, crop seed responses, and human interaction with electronic displays. “It was a proud feeling when I conducted those experiments,” he said.

Notably, microgravity experiments study how life and materials behave in reduced gravity, and are crucial for developing self-sustaining life-support systems in space.

Shukla said India will send three Air Force pilots to space in 2027 under the Gaganyaan mission, and he is one of them. “When we launch this mission, India will become the fourth country in the world to achieve this capacity,” he said.

Explaining difficulties faced by astronauts, he said, “In zero gravity, blood flows to the brain, the heart resists functioning normally, and food floats in the stomach, so you don’t feel hungry. Human space missions are complicated, but they are possible because of engineering.”

Encouraging children, Shukla said, “India will launch Gaganyaan in 2027 and later Bhartiya Space Station. Will you be ready for it?”