Gaganyaan New Chapter in Atmanirbhar Bharat: Rajnath

New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that the Gaganyaan mission represents a “new chapter” in the journey of Atmanirbhar Bharat, describing astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and the other three chosen Gaganyatris as the nation’s “gems” and pioneers of India’s aspirations.

At an event organised by the Indian Air Force at Subroto Park in New Delhi, the defence minister felicitated the four Gaganyatris. The ceremony followed the successful Axiom-4 mission, in which Shukla was a team member representing India.

“We do not see space only as a field of research, but as the future of tomorrow’s economy, security, energy, and humanity,” Singh said. He noted that India is steadily advancing beyond Earth’s surface into “new frontiers of space.”

“We’ve already marked our presence from the Moon to Mars, and today, the nation stands fully prepared for missions like Gaganyaan,” he added.

Calling the achievement not just a technological milestone but also “a new chapter in Atmanirbhar Bharat,” Singh said India is now standing tall among the world’s leading space powers.

He stressed that India’s space programme is not confined to laboratories or launch vehicles but is “a reflection of our national aspirations and global vision.” Citing earlier milestones, he said, “From Chandrayaan to Mangalyaan, we have demonstrated that even with limited resources, unlimited willpower can turn the most challenging goals into remarkable accomplishments.”

The four selected Gaganyatris are Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla.