‘Have Tied My Legs To Talk to You, Otherwise, I Will Fly’: Shubhanshu Shukla Shares Thrilling Experience Aboard International Space Station

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in conversation with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission. During the interaction, Shukla shared insights into his space journey and the various experiments being conducted in space.

Responding to PM Modi’s inquiry about how space differs from Earth, Shukla explained the vast differences between training on Earth and the reality of being in space. He described how everything feels different in the microgravity environment of space.

"Everything is different here. We trained for a year and I learned about different systems, but after coming here, everything changed… Here, even small things are different because there is no gravity in space. Sleeping here is a big challenge. It takes some time to get used to this environment," Shukla said.

He also mentioned that while speaking to PM Modi, he had to tie his feet down to avoid floating in zero gravity. "I’ve tied my feet while talking to you, otherwise I’d just float away," he said.

PM Modi, who has always expressed admiration for India’s astronauts, acknowledged Shukla’s remarkable achievement. He noted that even though Shukla is far from his homeland, he remains close to the hearts of Indians.

“You are far from the land of India, yet you are the closest to the hearts of Indians,” PM Modi remarked during the call.

Shukla responded, "Thank you, PM Modi, for your wishes and the blessings of 140 crore Indians. I am fine and safe here. I am feeling very good; this is a new experience. This journey is not only mine but the journey of the whole nation. Under your leadership, today’s India offers numerous opportunities to fulfill their dreams."

Earlier, in an emotional reflection, Shukla described his launch as "magical" and spoke about the overwhelming experience of reaching space. He recalled his feelings as he sat in the "Grace" capsule on the launchpad, after 30 days of quarantine.

“I am thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts – what a ride it was. Honestly, as I sat in the capsule ‘Grace’ on the launchpad yesterday, all I could think was: just go. When the launch finally happened, it was something else entirely. You’re pushed back into the seat–and then suddenly, there’s silence. You’re just floating in the vacuum, and it’s magical," Shukla said.