Rakesh Sharma: The First Indian in Space

An Indian Prime Minister once asked an astronaut, live on air, how their country looked from space. The answer became a line every Indian schoolchild knows.

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Science & Technology · SciTech0059

Rakesh Sharma

The first Indian in space, 3–11 April 1984

13 Jan 1949

Born in Patiala, Punjab.

1971

Flies 21 combat missions in a MiG-21, in the Bangladesh war.

3 Apr 1984

Launches aboard Soyuz T-11, becoming the first Indian in space.

11 Apr 1984

Lands back on Earth, after about 8 days in space.

MissionSoyuz T-11 → Salyut 7

India’s rank among spacefaring nations14th

India’s highest award receivedAshoka Chakra

“Saare Jahan Se Achha”

Asked by PM Indira Gandhi how India looked from space, Sharma quoted Allama Iqbal’s poem: “better than the whole world.” It remains his most remembered line.

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Timeline

• 13 January 1949: Rakesh Sharma is born in Patiala, Punjab.
• 1970: He joins the Indian Air Force as a pilot.
• 1971: He flies 21 combat missions in a MiG-21, during the Bangladesh war.
• 20 September 1982: He is selected as a cosmonaut, for the joint ISRO-Soviet Intercosmos programme.
• 3 April 1984: He launches aboard Soyuz T-11, becoming the first Indian in space.
• 11 April 1984: He lands back on Earth, near Arkalyk, after about eight days in space.

Must Know

• Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to travel into space.
• He launched on 3 April 1984, aboard Soyuz T-11, as part of the joint ISRO-Soviet Intercosmos programme.
• He spent about eight days in space, including time aboard the Soviet space station Salyut 7.
• He landed back on Earth on 11 April 1984.
• With his flight, India became the 14th nation to send a person into space.

Good to Know

• Before his space mission, Sharma served in the Indian Air Force. He flew 21 combat missions in a MiG-21 fighter, during the 1971 Bangladesh war.
• He was selected as a cosmonaut on 20 September 1982, alongside backup cosmonaut Ravish Malhotra, for the joint Intercosmos programme.
• He flew alongside two Soviet cosmonauts: mission commander Yuri Malyshev, and flight engineer Gennady Strekalov.
• Aboard Salyut 7, he ran experiments. These included photographing India from space, and studying the effects of yoga on the body under weightlessness.
• The USSR honoured him with the title Hero of the Soviet Union. India awarded him the Ashoka Chakra, its highest peacetime gallantry award — also given to his two Soviet crewmates.
• See GK0002 — India’s Notable Firsts for how Sharma’s flight fits alongside India’s other historic milestones.

Test Yourself

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1. Who was the first Indian citizen to travel into space?

Kalpana Chawla

Vikram Sarabhai

Ravish Malhotra

Rakesh Sharma

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Great to Know

• The mission’s most remembered moment came at a post-flight press conference. PM Indira Gandhi asked Sharma how India looked from space. He answered “Saare Jahan Se Achha” (“better than the whole world”), quoting a line from Allama Iqbal’s famous poem.
• Sharma’s flight came through the Soviet Intercosmos programme, not an independent Indian launch capability. This reflected the Cold War-era reality: for decades, most non-superpower astronauts reached space only through either the Soviet or American programmes.
• Despite this historic first, no other Indian citizen has flown to space since, as of 2026. India’s own human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, aims to change that with an indigenous launch.