Rajnath Singh honours Gaganyatris, hails India's soaring space ambitions

New Delhi [India], August 24 (ANI): In a moment of national pride, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday felicitated the Gaganyatris--Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, Group Captain P V Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, and Group Captain Angad Pratap at a grand ceremony in Delhi.

Lauding their exemplary temperament during rigorous training, Singh hailed them as the pride of India, embodying the nation's soaring ambitions in space exploration.

"The temperament shown by all of you during the training was not only impressive in itself, but I would say excellent...I am really feeling proud to welcome and congratulate the son of Mother India, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his other colleagues, Group Captain P V Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan and Group Captain Angad Pratap. All the countrymen are proud of you all. And they are proud because you all have made the countrymen proud," he said.

Highlighting India's remarkable space journey, from lunar missions to Mars exploration, the minister underscored the Gaganyaan mission as a testament to a self-reliant India, standing tall among global space powers.

"Today, when we look towards India's space journey, we find that our contribution is not limited merely to sending satellites into space. Today, India has already marked its presence from the Moon to Mars. Today, India is fully prepared for missions like Gaganyaan as well. I do not see this merely as a technical achievement, but as a new chapter of self-reliant India, where we are standing with full pride among the world's major space powers., " he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded India's space program, stating, "India's space program is not limited to laboratories and launch vehicles. It is a symbol of our national aspirations and global vision. India's vision is clear. We do not see space merely as a field of research but as the economy, security, energy, and future of humanity for tomorrow. In the coming times, space mining, deep space exploration, and planetary resources will change the direction of human civilisation."

Highlighting a personal connection, Singh added, "I come from the Lucknow Parliamentary constituency, and Shubhanshu Shukla is from there. He is also our voter. Forty years ago, when Rakesh Sharma represented India in space, Shubhanshu Shukla was born shortly after. A dream was born with him--to one day see Earth from the sky. Today, forty years later, Shubhanshu's childhood dream has come true, and India has once again hoisted its flag in space."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally announced the Gaganyaan Programme on August 15, 2018 setting India on the path to launch its own astronauts into space using indigenous capabilities. (ANI