Next decade will define Indian space exploration: Shubhanshu Shukla

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has said the next five to 10 years are going to be defining times for India as far as space exploration is concerned, as a lot of things are going to happen.

In an interactive session on the sidelines of space startup Skyroot’s facility inauguration in Hyderabad on November 27, Mr. Shukla said there are only a few countries which have done what India has achieved already and there are even fewer which are doing what India is planning to do in space.

He further said space voyages will not be restricted in future as the government is in the process of formulating a way to make entire structures available for selection, and how people from different fields can apply.

Mr. Shukla also said there is a need to re-evaluate existing global frameworks, treaties and laws that aren’t binding on anyone, as anything done in outer space is going to affect every person on the earth.

Naga Bharath Daka and Pawan Kumar Chandana, founders of Skyroot Aerospace, pose in front of Vikram-I, India’s first private commercial rocket, at the campus of Skyroot Aerospace during the inauguration ceremony of Infinity Campus, Hyderabad, November 27, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS

Mr. Shukla is the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). He was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission that lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS on June 26. He returned to the earth on July 15.

By growing moong and fenugreek in space, as part of a slew of experiments the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had included onboard Axiom-4, Mr. Shukla also joked said he was a “space farmer”.

He is also one of four astronauts that ISRO has selected and is currently undergoing training for India’s first human spaceflight mission, ‘Gaganyaan’, currently slated for launch in 2027.