‘Aaj Ka Bharat Abhi Bhi Sare Jahan Se Acha’: Shubhanshu Shukla Gives Axiom-4 Farewell Speech, Says ‘Even Stars Are Attainable’-OxBig News Network

Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to return to Earth on July 15, along with his crew from Axiom Mission 4. In his farewell ceremony speech, concluding his 18-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS) said that “even today, Bharat looks saare jahan se accha” from above. 

The crew is scheduled to undock from the ISS on July 14 at around 4:35 pm (IST), with splashdown expected in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at approximately 3 pm (IST) on Tuesday, July 15. 

Group Captain Shukla became the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS.

The Ax-4 crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Sławosz “Suave” Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) astronaut Tibor Kapu.

‘Sare Jahan Se…’

“Today’s India looks ambitious from space, today’s India looks fearless, today’s India looks confident, today’s India appears full of pride, and today’s India still looks sare jahan se acha,” the Astronaut said. 

Shukla’s Farewell Speech 

“It has been a fantastic journey for me,” Shukla said about his stay at the ISS, and added that he was taking with him a lot of memories and learnings that he will further share.

“It has been a fantastic journey. Now this journey is coming to an end. But the journey of our human space flight is very long. It is also difficult,” he said.

“But let me assure you that if we decide, then even stars are attainable,” he said, quoting a Sanskrit phrase. Shukla also expressed his gratitude to the people who made the mission possible.

Ax-4 Mission | Farewell Ceremony https://t.co/QGDDfXD84R
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) July 13, 2025

Axiom Mission 4 was launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS on June 26 at 4:05 pm IST, ahead of schedule, connecting to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.

(with ANI inputs)