Rakesh SHARMA

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) • First Indian Astronaut

Astronaut Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma made India proud and had his name etched in history when he spent seven days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes in space on board the Salyut 7 space station. He was the first Indian to travel to space. This achievement came with a joint Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Soviet Interkosmos space programme.

Rakesh Sharma joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in July 1966 as an air force freshman, and in 1970 he got commissioned as a pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and became a fighter pilot. He joined Hindustan Aeronautics in 1987 as its chief test pilot. In 2001, he moved out to take on the chairman of the board of Automated Workflow (a Bengaluru-based process-management company).

It was in 1982 that Rakesh Sharma got chosen to become part of a joint Soviet-Indian spaceflight as a cosmonaut. On 3 April 1984, he and two cosmonauts from the Soviet Union (flight engineer Gennady Strekalov and commander Yury Malyshev) flew on board Soyuz T-11 to the space station Salyut 7. At the space station, Rakesh Sharma conducted various exercises and experiments, such as yoga’s effects on the human body in weightlessness and taking photographs of India from outer space.

Events

The Global Space Exploration Conference 2025

7-9 May 2025

New Delhi, India

Participation: